


More Than Machines

by imaginethatstarlord



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Connor, Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Battle for Detroit (Detroit: Become Human), Connor Deserves Happiness, Connor-centric, Detroit Police Department (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), F/M, Human Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Jealous Connor, Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Needs a Hug, Markus (Detroit: Become Human)-centric, Other, Pre-Deviant Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Connor, Worried Markus (Detroit: Become Human)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-09-14 15:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16915566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginethatstarlord/pseuds/imaginethatstarlord
Summary: DEVIANT:noun: someone or something that deviates from a normespecially: a person who differs markedly (as in social adjustment or behavior) from what is considered normal or acceptable.Markus becomes a deviant trying to protect a potential love interest and his 6-year-old child.Connor hunts him while simultaneously falling in love and becoming a deviant himself.





	1. Marina Rose

Markus & Marina Manfred

Markus felt the cool wind against his synthetic skin as he made his way through the small park. The little girl clung to him like a monkey would a tree, but he never really minded. She rested on his hip, her little arms wrapped around his neck loosely, her head laying on his shoulder. She was so peaceful it seemed like she was asleep, in fact, she almost was. He let out a light chuckle, “Are you sure you were really awake enough to come with me Mars?” He had been on his way out the door when the girl came bounding down the stairs from her room. She had gotten herself ready messily and she asked to come with him, the android just couldn’t say no. Not because of his coding, but because this little girl meant the world to him. 

The girl shifted, moving her head off his shoulder so she could look at him, “Yeah I’m awake Marki. I like going with you places.”

“But why? I am just going to pick up paint for your grandfather. It’s nothing exciting,” he replied, checking both ways before crossing the street.  
“Everything is exciting with you Marki! Even boring old trips to the store to get paint for granddad,” She said with a bright smile. Markus could just tell the world was a better place when this particular little girl smiled. She was just so lively and kind to everyone. Their little exchange seemed to wake her up more. Her eyes were full and blue like the deep oceans Markus told her about in her bedtime stories and her features were smooth and young, she almost looked too adorable to be real. 

He smiled to himself at her comment, “I’m glad you feel that way Mars, it’s fun to go places with you.” He was about to continue on to the paint shop, but he noticed a man shouting about something or another, so he moved towards him, slightly curious as to what he was saying. 

“God will not let this happen, no he will not let his creation be led astray by these, these artificial demons!” Of course… He was preaching out against androids. Markus moved so one of his hands was on the back of Marina’s head. He did it instinctually to protect her, even though this man seemed like he posed no real threat, “Why do you look at me so, demon?” he asked, getting a little too close for Markus’ liking. He took a step back, not really thinking about it. “I know who you are, I can see through you. You are the one by whom the evil will come! You are the one who will destroy Detroit!”

Markus wasn’t phased by the yelling, but more so off put by the fact that this man would talk this way in front of a young child. Marina moved to look the man straight in the eye, “You’re wrong Mister, Markus is not evil. He’s a good boy!”

The man seemed taken back by this, but soon he had a comeback, “And you’ve brainwashed this child into think that you care about her? You truly are the devil,” He said looking at Markus, then he turned his attention back to Marina, “He’s only with you because he was told to take care of you. He doesn’t care about you sweetheart, he’s incapable.”

Markus looked down at the small girl’s face, and his robot heartbroke. She looked like someone had just told her pet past away. Markus glared at the man, “Come one Mars let’s go,” He said as he walked them away. 

“You care about me… right, Marki?” She asked on the verge of tears. 

“Of course I do Mars. You and your grandfather are the most important things in the world to me. Don’t listen to that man, he doesn’t know anything about me,” Markus answered, praying that she would believe his words.

She wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck, completely burying her face in his shoulder, “I believe you Markus,” she said quietly, he was just barely able to make it out. 

He stayed quiet as the pair reached the paint store. Marina didn’t make a sound as he completed the transaction and got the package. Markus could tell that the man had upset her, he hated that something like that had ruined her mood.

He started to talk towards the bus station, knowing that it was best to just head home when something grabbed her interest, “birdies!” She chirped, pulling herself from Markus’ grasp. The android was startled by her actions and didn’t react instantly. After taking a few seconds to compute what happened, Markus went to call out to her, but he was stopped by the protesters that he wanted to avoid. 

“Where the fuck you going tin can? Hm?” Markus tried to get out of the situation, he needed to get back to Marina. “No kiddin’... Hey, guys check it out, we got one of those tin cans here.” The group then surrounded Markus, but his focus wasn’t them. It was on the little girl playing with the pigeons a little ways ahead. His pump was moving blue blood through his system a lot faster. He couldn’t protect her from here.

“Marina!” He called out, getting the young girl’s attention. Marina looked over to see Markus get shoved to the ground by a bunch of adults. She was horrified.  
“Look at this little motherfucker, you steal our jobs, but you can’t even stand up,” One of the women said. Marina was frozen in her place for a moment. How could these people be so cruel to Markus? They have never met him!

Markus tried to stand up, but the man kicked him down again. Marina felt tears forming in her eyes as she ran over to help him. The man pulled him up, “You ain’t going anywhere. We’re gonna fuck your bitch ass up.”

“Let go of my Markus! He’s a good guy!” Marina cried out, pulling hard on the man’s leg. “Stop it! Leave him alone! Stop hurting him!”  
He threw her off with one swinging motion, turning his attention to her, “You talk about it like it’s more than an ‘it’. This thing can’t feel anything kid, it needs to pay!”  
Marina moves so she’s in front of Markus, spreading her arms out wide and standing on her tiptoes to make herself appear slightly taller, “If you wanna get to Markus, you’ll have to go through me!” She huffed.

The protesters all began to laugh at the small girl who was attempting to protect this machine. Markus quickly picked her up and swung her around behind him. His hand firmly held onto hers. He wasn’t scared of anything happening to him, but if something happened to her, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself. The protesters then go back to saying the lead guy should beat him up, but Markus held his head high, waiting to see what was to come. The tension was defused by a police officer, Markus was thankful for his intervention, “Alright. That’s enough. Leave it alone.” 

The man doesn’t back down, “Let us teach this bastard a lesson.”

He felt Marina’s grip on his hand get tighter, she was frightened.

“If you damage it I’m going to have to fine you. Besides, it’s obviously in charge of taking care of that little girl. How will she get home?” The officer asks.  
The man backs away and Marina releases a breath she had been holding in. Markus immediately picks her up, holding tightly onto her. She clung to him, he could feel her shaking, she always went back and forth like this, one second the bravest of them all, the next she was terrified. She watched the man closely, “They’re gonna take your job next. We’ll see how you like it.”

Markus quickly picked up the paints that he had dropped as the officer shooed him along. He carried Marina to the bus station in silence. When they arrived, he looked over at her, their eyes met. She didn’t really seem all that scared anymore, even though her body was still a little shaky, “You don’t have to protect me like that, it’s very dangerous to stand up for androids nowadays.”

“But no one else looks out for you Markus, not even you.”

Markus looked away from the girl, taken back for a moment. Marina was a strange child, but she meant everything to him. He had just never seen how much she meant to him. He was her caretaker, her father figure since her father was pretty much out of the picture. This girl needed him, and she was willing to risk everything to stand up for him, for androids. She believed he was much more than what most people saw when they looked at him. He didn’t know how to reply, but he didn’t have to. The bus came, he put her down without saying a word, and they followed their normal routine. She got on the human section of the bus and went to the farthest back seat, while Markus went into the android compartment and stood directly behind her. 

Even though he wasn’t sure what to say to her right now, he always felt uncomfortable that he couldn’t sit with her on the bus or stand next to her. He worried that something might happen and there would be a glass wall between them. Markus watched her swing her feet lazily as the bus began to move. She was mesmerized by the sights out the window, per usual, while he watched her and the route that they were taking. 

When the bus came to a stop, he stepped out, walked to the front and waited for her to get off as well. She hopped cutely down the steps, Markus smiled at her as he picked her up, “Think it’s time for me to wake your grandfather up yet? We’ve had a busy morning for him to still be in bed.”  
She nodded excitedly, “Yeah! It’s time for him to get up!” 

He chuckled, “Well when we get home, you get yourself into some clean clothes and I’ll go wake him up okay? Then the two of you can have some breakfast together.”  
“Yeah that sounds amazing! You’re the best Marki!” The six-year-old cheered as they reached the house. Markus smiled, his cheeks becoming dusted with a light pink color at her compliment.

He carried her up the stairs to her room, leaving her to get washed up and changed before heading to Carl’s bedroom. He moved to open the curtains, flooding light into the room. “Good morning Carl.”

“Morning,” He said tiredly.

“It’s 10AM. The weather is partly cloudy, 54 degrees, 80% humidity with a strong possibility of afternoon showers.”

“It sounds like a good day to spend in bed,” Carl replied. 

“I did go to pick up the paint that you ordered. Marina, of course, wanted to tag along,” Markus reported.

Carl smiled, “And you couldn’t resist taking her?”

“Never Carl,” Markus smiled, but it soon faded. He thought about the incidents they encountered. 

“Show me your arm please Carl.”

“No.”

“Carl.”

“Hey… what happened to your clothes?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just some demonstrators in the street Carl. Marina is getting quite brave. She stood up for me.”

“Is that so? It seems you’re raising her well Markus,” The old man said with a quiet smile on his face.

Markus furrowed his eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

“Markus, you are her father figure, she looks up to you and she learns from you. She doesn’t really understand the difference between human and android, or what makes them different. All she understands is that you and I take care of her. She knows that you’re an android so she doesn’t want to see people pushing you around or any other android for that matter. You’ve unknowingly taught her kindness, Markus.”

The android sat back, “Huh… I never thought of it quite like that.”


	2. Leo Visits

Markus & Marina Manfred

A few minutes later, Marina came bounding down the stairs to find Markus and her grandfather about to start breakfast. Markus smiled when the small girl pushed open the door, “All cleaned up and ready to eat Mars?” He asked, setting her plate down at her usual spot next to Carl. 

“Yep! All clean!” She said with a wide toothy grin. She ran over to Markus and he instantly picked her up in his arms. It was a smooth motion, his processors didn’t even have to think about it to decide if it was the right decision. 

He analyzed her hands, shooting her a little smirk when he realized that she hadn’t washed them. “Are you sure Mars? You know I’ll catch you if you tell an untruth.” He felt silly saying the word, but she always called lies untruths, so he just went with it.

Her cheeks turned a little bit pink like they always did when Markus caught her doing something she wasn’t supposed to. He turned around and walked to the sink, picking up the soap. She put her little hands out, knowing that Markus had figured out what she had skipped to get downstairs faster. Markus put a bit of soap in her hands and leaned so she could reach the water he had turned on. Carl sat back and watched the interaction, knowing good and well that Markus was a much better father than Leo ever could be. Markus carried her over to her seat when she had finished, she looked eagerly at her pancakes. Markus’ pancakes were her favorite. “Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!” She shouted excitedly. 

The smile Carl saw on Markus’ face was priceless as he bent down to be on eye level with her, “Yep I made your favorite today because you were so brave this morning, try not to eat them too fast okay?” 

“Okay, Marki!” She said as she picked up a big fork full.

“Why don’t you find something to do while we eat Markus?” Carl said as he started on his breakfast.

“Of course,” the android responded before he moved away from the small girl and towards the rest of the big room. He analyzed the room, paying close attention to all the details of it. He worked in the house and he kept it clean with the help of Marina, so he already knew what his options were. Since he had finished up all of the usual chores, he could read a book from Carl’s extensive collection, play chess against himself, or he could play the piano that sat at the opposite end of the room from the dining table. Marina was happily eating her pancakes, kind of watching him, but also kind of watching the tv in front of her. He knew if he made too much noise while she was eating she would drop her food to see what he was up to, so playing the piano was out. He then thought about the two other options; playing chess against himself or reading a book. While the books that Carl had were old fashion paper books, they held great knowledge… though he could probably just look up whatever was in them on the computer wired into his system. Therefore he decided that playing chess was the best option. 

He made his way over to the chess set and to his surprise after he got the chess pieces back on the proper side from the last time the set was used, Carl made his way over to the set with Marina tailing behind him. The two of them finished breakfast more quickly than Markus had anticipated. “Fancy a game of chess?” Carl asked.   
Marina’s eyes shone. She scurried to the middle of the two of them, clasping her hands around the edge of the table. She was too young to truly understand the game, but she loved to watch Markus and Carl play. Markus gave her a soft smile before turning his attention back to Carl, “Sure, yeah.”

“Speed chess,” Carl said with a small smirk on his elderly face. He was keen on getting Markus this time. 

Markus smiled back, “Speed chess it is.”

The pieces instantly started flying back and forth after those words came out of Markus’ mouth. Marina watched in awe of the situation. She hoped that one day she could be as good at chess as Markus and her Grandfather. They were both so good, the young girl wondered who was going to win. 

As she had this thought, Markus paused in his quick movements. Marina held her breath as she watched him move the last piece from one place to another. She immediately looked toward her grandfather, he sighed, “Now that’s what I call a thorough beating… It’s not easy for an old man to compete with a machine.”

Markus looked pleased, yet calm, “Well I know you don’t like losing and you don’t like when I let you win so I felt I didn’t have many choices.”

Marina looked at Markus curiously, she never quite understood how Markus was so good at literally everything. She just thought he was amazing. She wanted to be just like him when she grew up. “True,” Her Grandfather answered, “We humans are complicated,” Carl paused for a moment and Marina noticed a change in his demeanor, “One day I won’t be here to take care of you anymore. You’ll have to protect yourself… and make your choices. Decide who you are, who you want to become and what you’ll be to Marina in the future. The world doesn’t like those who are different, Markus. Don’t let anyone tell you who you should be or who you should be to her,” Carl gestured toward the young girl with the bright blue eyes. Markus looked at her, she looked worried and confused. Markus was going to say something to her when Carl interrupted the process.

“Let’s go to the studio,” he suggested.

“Yeah let’s go to the studio!” Marina said as her face turned back to one of her usual bright expressions. 

Markus laughed a little bit at her excitement, “Are you ready to work more on your painting Marina?” He asked as he stood up and picked her off the ground like it was nothing. 

“Yeah, I am!” She said with a beaming smile, “it’s still not ready for you to see though Marki.”

“That’s alright,” Markus replied as he shifted her weight to one arm so he could push Carl’s wheelchair with the other, “I look forward to seeing it when you’re finished.”

“So do I, Marina, maybe you’ll decide to become a painter like me when you’re older,” Carl said, jumping into the conversation as the doors to the studio automatically opened. 

Markus set Marina down as they entered the large room. She ran towards her little easel as Markus set Carl up to paint. Marina’s easel was at the end of the room, facing towards the door so that Markus and Carl couldn’t see what she was working on as they went about doing their own activities. 

She looked happily at the unfinished painting as she sat down on her own wooden stool that Carl told her was similar to the one he used in his younger days. She had a lot of interests, but she definitely loved art like her grandfather did. She was such a hyper child, but if you put her in front of a piece of paper or a canvas she’ll work quietly as a mouse for hours on end if you let her. 

Markus watched from afar as he was collecting different supplies to wash up. He was extremely curious as to what she could possibly be making, but he would never disrespect her wishes for him to see it only when she was finished. He continued to do his chores until they were all finished, then he walked towards Carl who had been working on his latest giant masterpiece. Markus honestly quite liked it. “So… What’s your verdict, Markus?” Carl asked as he lowered the machine he had been using to the floor.

“Yes… there is something about it. Something I can’t quite define. I guess I like it,” He said with a soft smile. 

“What about you Marina? What do you think of it?” Carl questioned, looking in the direction of the six-year-old.

Marina was snapped from her deep concentration by the sound of her name, “I really like it, Grandpa. It has a lot of pretty shades of blue and a bit of purple in it!”

“Someone has learned their colors very well,” Markus complimented. She smiled before turning back to her work. 

“Indeed, but let’s see what you can do Markus!” Carl exclaimed as he maneuvered his way around everything to get to a blank canvas. “Give it a try, go on, try painting something.”  
“Painting… Painting what?” Markus asked. 

“Anything you want. Just give it a try. It can’t hurt.”

Markus picked up the palette of paint on the table next to the easel and thought about what he wanted to paint. It didn’t take him long to decide on painting Marina who was peaking her head out from behind her easel to get a look at what was going on. He painted a perfect copy of it and she smiled, “That looks perfect Marki! You’re so talented I wish I could paint like that!”

Markus smiled before he saw the slightly disapproving look on Carl’s face, “Yes, that’s perfect. A perfect copy of reality… But painting is not about replicating the world, it’s about interpreting it, improving on it, showing something you see.”

Markus’ LED shown yellow for a moment before speaking, “Carl… I don’t think I can do that it’s not in my programming.”

“It doesn’t hurt to try again Markus. Close your eyes, try to imagine something that doesn’t exist, something you’ve never seen,” Carl coached.

Markus sat still for a minutes before he began to paint. Marina still had her head peeking out from around the canvas. She was shocked to see the beautiful work Markus had painted when he was finished. She had never seen anything like it. She was about to say so when someone she really didn’t want to see waltzed into the room. Her biological father Leo. “Hey Dad,” He said as calmly as he could muster, but it was obvious to Markus that he was not alright. Marina hid behind the canvas almost completely, tucking her legs up into her chest in hopes that he wouldn’t see her. She didn’t like to deal with him, she just didn’t like him. He was loud and brutish and mean to her, it was no shock she was a little afraid of him. She listened intently to the conversation.

“Leo… I didn’t hear you come in,” Carl said honestly. 

“I was just in the neighborhood, thought I stop by and see my daughter and my dad. It’s been a while right?”

“Are you alright?” Carl asked, “You don’t look so good.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah I’m fine…” Marina heard his footsteps move more in her direction, “Hey listen uh… I need some cash, Dad.”

“Again? What happened to the money I just gave you?”

“Uh well, it just goes, ya know?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re on it again, aren’t you?” Carl questioned. This is one of the main reasons Marina lives here in the first place, Leo had a serious drug problem and no idea how to manage his money. Markus knew if Carl had let Leo keep her something bad would have happened to her already.

“No no no, I swear it’s not that…” 

“Don’t lie to me, Leo,” Carl snapped back.

“What difference does it make? I just need some cash, and I wanna see my kid! That’s all!”

“Sorry, but the answer is no on the cash and no on spending time around Marina. She doesn’t need to see you like this.”

“What? Why? What do you mean ‘like this’?”

“You know why. You know what I mean,” Carl fired back sternly.

Leo was clearly getting very angry, Marina knew it. She knew the way his steps sounded and the tone of his voice when he was mad. “Yeah, I think I do know why. You’d rather take care of your plastic toy here than your own son huh? Tell me, dad, what’s its got that I don’t? It’s smarter? More obedient? Not like me, right? But you know what? This thing is not your son. IT’S A FUCKING MACHINE!” Leo screamed as he pushed Markus’ shoulders back. Marina held in a yelp at the sound.

“Leo, that’s enough!” Carl yelled back. The young man scoffed. Marina knew in her little heart she had to do something.

“Yeah. Leave Marki alone!” She shouted, finally making her presence known to Leo. She poked her head out as she said it and kinda regretted it because now her father’s anger was directed at her. 

“Look at that. Are you proud of yourself dad? You’ve got my own daughter turned against me. She’s protecting that… that thing over siding with her father!” Leo continued, “Not only that, but you were going to hide the fact that she was right here this whole time to keep her from me!”

“Well, she has the common sense to know the difference between right and wrong, unlike you. And as for why I didn’t tell you she was here, again, look at yourself.”

Leo balled his hands into fists and marched toward Marina’s small frame, that shrunk down even more as he approached, he was the one thing in the world that she was truly terrified of. “What’s this you’ve been working on?” He asks angrily as he picks it up off the easel and holds it up out of her reach.

“Hey give that back!” She whined. 

He took a good look at the painting. An image of Marina, Markus, and Carl was half painted in. It was very well done for a child her age, but Leo wasn’t looking at that. He was only focused on the fact that the word family was written in her paint handwriting at the top… and he wasn’t in the picture. “What the fuck is this? You think it’s okay to paint this without me in it?!” He yelled at her as he broke the canvas she had been working so hard on. The sound of her outburst made Markus’ feet move without him thinking about it or processing what he was doing. He ran over to her, scooping her up in his arms and tucking her head into his shoulder. 

“Get out of my house Leo! NOW!” Carl shouted, unbelievably angry with him now. This wasn’t just asking for money or a hug from Marina anymore. He made her cry.

“You really trust this machine to take care of her? Are you fucking kidding me, dad?” Leo asked as he made his way towards the door, “All you care about is yourself and your goddamn paintings, you don’t even care about your own granddaughter to take care of her yourself,” Leo spat as he left.

Markus felt Marina clinging hard to his shirt, “It’s okay Mars, he’s gone now,” He said in a calming voice, he looked at the broken canvas on the floor, what he could see of the art looked amazing. He felt something boiling in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Leo breaking it, “Your painting is beautiful, I’m sorry he ruined it. How about after you calm down we work together to make a new family portrait.”

She nodded softly, but Markus could feel it. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, and for Leo to get bitch slapped by Karma.


	3. Party Failure

Juno Kamski

The young detective smiled as she looked up at the clock that was on the corner of her computer screen. 3 pm, finally. She began to close all her work for the day and logged out of the system. Lieutenant Hank Anderson looked at her curiously as she did so. “Where are you going? Don’t you get off at 5?” He asked, not to reprimand her or anything of that nature, he was just extremely inquisitive, since the detective usually followed a pretty systematic schedule. 

She smiled at her partner, “Normally yes, but instead of coming in at 9 and leaving at 5, I got here at 7 and am leaving at 3. Worked out a deal with Fowler because I was invited to an art gallery tonight.”

Hank nodded, “Sounds like hell to me, but I know you like that art stuff so I know you’ll have fun.”

She laughed, “Don’t even try that Hank, I know you enjoyed yourself that day we painted together.”

“Yeah, if I liked it so much then why have we only done that once?” He retorted, feeling overly confident in his smart-aleck answer. 

“Because you’re a stubborn old man who won’t admit to liking something new,” She fired back as she picked up her messenger bag.

“How dare you,” Hank said, a bit of a pout in his deflated voice.

“See you tomorrow Hank,” She replied with a smile as she turned to leave.

“See you tomorrow Juno,” He returned.

She picked up the pace after she was sure that the conversation was finished. She really didn’t feel like dealing with a certain narcissistic android-hating detective at this very moment. She was in a good mood and she didn’t want him to ruin that. 

Unfortunately, as she was making her way to the dividers that sectioned the lobby from the rest of the station, she heard his voice calling after her, “Where are you headed off to so early Juno? Getting ready for that date I offered to take you on?” He asked in his usual arrogant tone.

Juno rolled her eyes, “It’s Detective Kamski to you dipstick. Though I will say your ability to be this persistent is quite astonishing. It’s amazing how you haven’t taken the hint yet Gavin.”

“Hey, don’t be like that babe! I just wanna know where you’re running off to,” Gavin said, trying to defend himself in the worst way possible. Juno wasn’t having it.

“If you must know I’m going to an art gallery tonight for an exhibition of my favorite painter. Now if you’ll leave me the hell alone, I will be on my way,” she spat as she briskly walked past him. She rolled her eyes at his actions once again. How could he be so deadset on getting a date when she had clearly said no a thousand times? She was usually the quiet wallflower type with humans that she wasn’t close to, but Gavin Reed just ticked her off in every way imaginable. She couldn’t just stay silent and go on her way like she would with any other person. She took a deep breath and shook her mind clear like an etch-a-sketch. She needed to calm down and get back into a good mood. This was going to be a fun night, or so she hoped. 

~ ~ ~

After spending about an hour fixing her hair and fighting to get her dress zipped, Juno was ready to go. She looked herself over in the mirror once more before leaving. Her long mahogany hair was completely down, something that it never was. The natural wavy of her hair was replaced with tight bouncing curls that cascaded downward in every direction. Her makeup was light and natural, her freckles still shining through. Her dress was classic, short, bodycon, and black. It was something she hoped she could get away with wearing for every event because it was the only dress she owned, and she did not want to spend any money on a new one.

She headed out the door to her car, turning it on and letting it drive itself after programming where she wanted it to go. She was glad her brother had given this to her as a graduation gift, despite feeling it was a little extravagate. It was a nice four seater and with its capabilities, she never had to drive it herself. That was probably what she liked the most about it. She started to feel more nervous as she got closer to the party. She had a few pieces of her own art in a couple of museums around Detroit, allowing her to live a comfortable life, but her work was nothing compared to the work of the great Carl Manfred. She was so excited to talk to him, but she was worried what he might think of her. Elijah and Carl were once close, but who knows how the elderly man really feels about her brother. What if Carl had seen her art? What would he say about it? She sighed, tightly closing her hands in an attempt to stop them from shaking. She needed to get it together, the car was going to be pulling up any second. 

She put her best foot forward as she felt the car stop and heard the door open. She put on a bright smile as she got out. The cameras started flashing instantly, some held by androids, some held by people. She wasn’t nearly as well known as her brother, but she was still a known face in Detroit’s higher class. Her car pulled away to park itself as she made her way towards the door. Some of the reporters shouted questions at her, but they were few and far between. She doubted most of them knew who she was, but she was 100% okay with that. She normally would have turned down an invitation like this, but something in her gut told her to go, so here she was. 

When she finally made it inside the doors she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. She looked around the entryway, instantly recognizing a few of the pieces as Carl’s. They were some of his older pieces, ones she had seen before. That didn’t mean she wasn’t captured by them though. She could stay happily in that front room for the rest of the night, processing those paintings, but she really wanted to see the new ones and possibly get to meet the painter himself, so she moved deeper into the museum. The next room was completely covered in his paintings, mostly new works, but a few world favorites were sprinkled throughout. Juno smiled at all the artwork before moving towards a darker piece in the center of the opposite wall. She studied it for a minute, it was beautiful. The grays, blacks, and cool tones mixed perfectly. She was astounded by work. She hoped that one day her work could give people the number of emotions that Carl’s work gave her. She was so captured by the piece that she couldn’t hear the pounding of the dance floor music coming from a room over or the fairly loud chatter of the hundred people around her. She didn’t even hear the wheels of the chair rolling up next to her or the sound of the child giggle in the arms of her caretaker. 

“So you like this piece? An interesting choice,” Carl said, finally breaking her from her intense concentration. 

She whipped her head towards the sound, making eye contact with a young girl, a handsome android man, and finally the painter she had been looking up to for years. “Oh! Yes, I umm… I don’t know. Something about it made me drawn to it. I guess the color palette and the swirl of the lines really speak to me.”

He nodded, “it’s nice to meet you, Juno. I admire your work. You’re very talented for such a young artist.”

Juno’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red, “Th-Thank you so much! That means a lot coming from you. I’ve loved your work since I was a little kid.”

Carl beamed, “The lady is really nice!” Squealed the young child being held by the android. 

Juno smiled, trying to gain her composure, “Well thank you, sweetheart! What’s your name?”

“My name is Marina Ms. and this is Marki!” She replied as she pinched the cheek of the android. 

The android smiled at the little girl, showing how much he cared for her, more than any machine could. Juno was good at spotting androids who were deviant or who would soon become deviant. Though she would never report them like her colleagues would, she liked androids too much. “Marina calls me Marki, but most call me Markus.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Markus and Marina. Of course, it’s an honor to meet you as well Carl,” Juno answered. 

“Markus helps to take care of me in my old age and Marina in her young one. He’s very bright. I’m trying to teach him to paint at the moment,” Carl returned. 

“Sounds interesting, what have you been painting Markus?” Juno questioned, she was genuinely curious about Markus and his abilities.

“Well I started by painting a perfect copy of Marina, but then Carl told me to paint something that I had never seen before,” Markus responded.

“What did you decide to paint?”

“A concept. Something that is hard to grasp, yet very clearly exists in our world.”

“And how did it turn out?”

“Quite amazing,” Carl replied. 

Juno smiled at the elderly man, “in that case, it may be an odd request, but would you mind if I burrowed Markus for a dance?”

“I don’t know if-” 

“Go on Markus, have fun. Marina and I will watch,” Carl said with a smile after stopping the android from saying an indirect no. Juno’s brother had invented androids and she worked on a police force that seemed not too fond of them, but… Carl could see a glint in her eyes. She cared about androids as if they were people. She was interested in Markus not because simply he was an android, but because he was an android that had developed into so much more.

Markus set Marina on the floor next to her grandfather’s wheelchair. He extended his hand out to Juno, “In that case. I guess I’ll lead the way, Ms. Kamski.”

Juno took Markus’ hand and giggled as they made their way to the dance floor in the third room, “Such a gentleman.”

The two made their way onto the dance floor as a slow song came on. Juno wrapped her arms around Markus’ neck and Markus set his hands on her hips, “So Markus, tell me about yourself.”

“Well you already know that I work for Carl and take care of Marina,” Markus replied.

“Yes, and while I would love to know more about Carl’s creative process and Marina is a real cutie, I want to know about you.”

“What is there to know about me?” Markus asked, confused as to what Juno wanted to hear.

“What are your hopes, dreams, aspirations?” Juno answered. 

Markus chuckled, “That’s an awfully loaded question.”

“Alright, how about something simpler? What’s your favorite thing about Marina?” Juno countered.

Markus thought for a moment, lost in his head without missing a beat of the music that they were dancing to. “It would be the way she looks at me I suppose.”

It was Juno’s turn to pause, “What about it? The way she looks at you I mean?”

“She looks at me like I’m the greatest thing there ever was. Like I’m her world. It’s crazy, honoring, and humbling.”

Juno smiled at that, “You know you look at her the same way.”

“How do you mean?”

“Like she’s your world. It’s obvious she thinks of you as her father and you see her as your daughter. It’s quite adorable and endearing if you ask me.”

If Markus could blush, he would have at this moment, “I take that as the highest of compliments.”

Juno responded as the song ended, “You should, you’re quite the interesting person Markus. I’d love to know more.”

Markus was going to say something back when Carl called them over from the corner of the dance floor. Juno pulled away and walked towards the little girl and the old man. Markus followed close behind. “That was some amazing dancing you two, but it probably would have been better if you hadn’t been chitchatting so much.”

Markus and Juno both laughed, “Oh Carl.” The conversation stalled because a tiny yawn could be heard from next to Carl. Marina stretched her arms out as she made the noise. Markus bent down slightly to pick her up. “Looks like somebody is tired.”

“I’m not tired,” Marina said as she fought off another yawn.

“Marina it’s okay to be tired, I’m sure you’ve had a long exciting day!” Juno replied with a smile.

“Yeah, Mars, why don’t we get you home to bed?” Markus continued.

“Only if the nice lady comes with us! Grandpa should show her his art studio.”

Juno giggled as Carl answered, “I think that sounds like a pretty good deal, but of course, it is up to you Juno. I’m sure you have work in the morning.”

“It’s fine with me. Work’s not too early and I can just stop by for a few minutes,” Juno said before smiling at Marina, “Is that okay with you Marina?”

“Yeah! Yay! Yay! Yay! The pretty lady who likes Marki is gonna come over!”

The trio of adults laughed at the small child. Juno’s cheeks becoming a bright red color. Kids can be so cute yet naive at times. 

~ ~ ~

After a short drive, Juno’s car arrived at the Manfred Manor. The house itself was beautiful and stood tall. She smiled as she got out, everyone else arrived at the same time as her even though their cars had been separated along the way. The four of them made it to the house, Markus quickly sent Marina upstairs to get changed and get ready for bed. As soon as she was safely out of sight, the three adults headed through the doors to the combined living/dining space while talking. They were about to pour drinks when Carl turned towards another door, “Did you leave the light on in the studio?”

“No… No, I’m sure I didn’t,” Markus replied.

There was a short silence before Carl talked, “Call the police.”

Markus did as he was told, “This is Carl Manfred’s Android, at 8941 Lafayette Avenue. We’ve just returned home and found the lights on. There may have been a break-in.”

“Let’s go check it out,” Carl said after Markus was done making the call.

“Carl, I can’t let you do that. What kind of detective would I be? I’ll check it out,” Juno said wishing she had a gun or a taser on her. 

“I can’t let you do that Juno. We don’t know what is behind that door,” Markus responded.

“I appreciate the concern,” Juno said as she took her heels off, “but this is my day job.”

“But it’s night time.”

“You get the point, Markus,” Juno said as she approached the door. She pushed it open to find a man rolling up some of Carl’s works. She took a deep breath and put her cop voice on, “Hey you! Drop the paintings and put your hands where I can see them!”

The man turned around as Carl and Markus entered the room. “Oh look who’s here, my father, his plastic toy, and… who the hell are you?”

Juno pulled her badge out of the little shoulder bag she had left in the car during the party, but was really glad she had now, “Detective Juno Kamski. You, Sir, are breaking and entering, trespassing, and it looks like stealing, so how about you drop the art and put your hands where I can see them? I can only ask nicely twice,” Juno fired. How dare anyone try to steal Carl’s artwork. 

“Juno,” Markus warned before side stepping in front of her. He knew that Juno was a police officer and she was probably a capable fighter, but just like Marina, he never wanted to see her hurt. He may not have known her for very long, but she had been extremely kind to him, something most people weren’t. 

“Leo… What’s going on?” Carl asked. They knew him. They knew this man. 

“You refused to help me, so I’m helping myself… It’s crazy what some people will pay for this shit...” Leo responded. Juno’s blood was boiling. 

“Don’t touch them!” Carl shouted.

“Look, they’re all going to be mine sooner or later anyway, just like Marina. I still don’t understand why I can’t see her. It’s not like child services are going to give her to someone else when you’re gone.”

“Markus, get him away from there. Get him outta here!” Carl was fuming. Juno was a detective, not a first responder. She wanted to do more, but she felt so helpless without anything or a partner. She had to figure out what to do. 

Markus went over to him and said something, and then Leo started again, “All you ever do is tell me to go away. What’s wrong, dad? I’m not good enough for you? Not perfect like this FUCKING THING?!”

“That’s enough! Get out, right now! Go on, move!” Carl yelled. Juno’s heart rate was rising, come on… think of something!

“What makes it so special anyway, huh? What’s it got that I don’t?” 

“Leave him alone!” Carl said as Leo pushed him out of the way.

“Come on, let’s see what you got!” Leo shouted in Markus’ face.

“Markus don’t defend yourself, you hear me?” Carl ordered.

Juno’s legs moved without her thinking, “Don’t you dare lay a hand on him you arrogant brat.”

Juno was short enough that Leo could easily make eye contact with Markus over her, he kind of found it funny, “So what? The cops are protecting androids like they are people now? Unbelievable. Get out of the way short stack.”

“No way in hell,” Juno fired back, standing her ground. Her adrenaline kicking in.

“Suit yourself, you robot loving bitch!” Leo took a swing at Juno, the punch hitting her in the eye. She heard the yelling of Carl and Markus who had fallen backward after she bumped into him from the impact, but she had no idea what they were saying. 

She quickly retaliated and punched Leo in the gut, causing him to stumble back. He quickly regained his footing, but not before Juno landed a quick uppercut. At this point, the two were back near the door, Leo seeing an opportunity. He lunged at the young detective, pushing her up against the wall by the throat. She felt the pressure, she tried to pull his hand off of her, but her strength at this point was no match for his. In a fit of rage, Leo had attacked her, and even though she fought hard it was not hard enough. She started to see spots in her vision, thinking it was all over, but the next thing she knew Leo was pulled off of her and she was slouched on the floor with her back still against the wall. Her vision was still blurred, but she hurt a lot of noise. When it finally cleared Leo was laying on the floor with Markus standing over him. Juno could see his chest moving up an down, he was unconscious. Markus quickly made his way across the room to kneel next to Juno, “Are you alright?” He asked.

Juno coughed a bit before she moved one of her hands to cup Markus’ cheek, “I’m okay. Thank you Markus, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t-”

“Markus you have to go! The police are going to be here any minute and they will blame you for this,” Carl shouted, his heart having a hard time with all this drama.

“What? I-”

Juno used the hand on his cheek to turn his attention back to her, “It’s okay, Markus, I’ll protect you from the police. They’ll trust my words over anything Leo says.”

Carl started to say, “Markus-” 

But it was too late. The police officers burst through the door and they, in their rush, misread the situation. They aimed their guns at Markus. “NO! Don’t shoot! He’s-” Juno started, but she watched in horror as Markus was shot. The blue blood moved like paint, though the work it created was not beautiful. “Markus? MARKUS!” Juno shouted, pushing herself off the wall and leaning over him. He was gone, she knew that. She knew, but she still lifted his head off the floor, cried out like he wasn’t. “How could you? I said don’t shoot,” she said in a quiet, yet somber tone of voice. 

“We’re sorry it was a-”

“I SAID DON’T SHOOT!” She cried as the tears streamed down her face. This android saved her life and he died in front of her. There was nothing she could have done. She barely knew him, but her heart ached for the loss. She knew he was great, he was a father to Marina. Oh god, Marina.

“What’s-” A young voice asked.

“Keep her out of here!” Carl shouted to the two police officers, “She doesn’t need to see this.”

One of the officers ushered her away before she could see anything, but she was confused. What could have possibly happened while she was getting changed and brushed her teeth? As she asked herself this an older man came running in. “Where is she?” He asked the police officer next to her. 

“In the studio, straight back. She’s a mess Lieutenant.”

The Lieutenant made his way past, going straight to the studio, an older man in a wheelchair made his way out of the room as Hank went in. He found his partner crying over the body of an android. She had a black eye and some bruises starting on her neck, but she otherwise, physically, seemed fine. “Hey, kid.”

She looked up, “Hank? What are you doing here?”

“After the cops found out you were here they called me to come get you. Let’s go. You don’t need to sit there and cry.”

“He was so nice Hank.”

“He’s an android, he’s supposed to be nice.”

“He saved my life.”

“What?”

Juno looked towards Leo, “The guy over there? The unconscious one? He tried to kill me when I told him to leave and leave this android alone.”

Hank looked towards the man and then looked back at the other police officer in the room, “Well what are you waiting for? Make sure he is alright and then get him to the station.”

“Right away Lieutenant,” the officer said before he got to work.

Hank turned back to Juno, “I’m really sorry kid, but you know there’s nothing you can do for him now. Let’s get you checked out and then get you home.”

“Okay Hank,” She said as she set Markus completely back on the ground, “I’m so sorry Markus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was almost 4000 words long oops


	4. The Color of Your Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juno's Phone Key  
> annoying bitch face = Gavin Reed  
> Queen Bitch = Juno (what she has herself labeled as in her own phone)  
> Phucking Password = Hank Anderson

Juno Kamski

Juno woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing. Even with all the technology they had she still had the possibility of being woken up by the dreaded sound of a text message. She mentally groaned at that thought. She let out a sigh as she rolled over to reach her phone on the nightstand. Her body was definitely feeling the effects of last night. Her muscles were stiff and sore as she grabbed the device. She was completely filled with anger when she saw who the text was from, instantly wide awake even though she had felt half asleep a few seconds ago.   
“Reed,” She grumbled to herself as she opened the message. She knew she had work today, but the clock on the phone only read 6:13 am. Why the hell was Gavin ‘doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut’ Reed be texting her this early? She guessed she kinda answered her own question with that nickname. The message finally loaded and she was able to read the words that were across the small screen. 

Today 6:11 AM

annoying bitch face: I heard what happened last night

annoying bitch face: are u ok?

Queen Bitch: Yeah I’m fine. Hank came and got me

Queen Bitch: Thanks for asking

Queen Bitch: See you at work

annoying bitch face: ok, just wanted to check up on you babe

Juno rolled her eyes as she read that text. He really knew how to take something nice and turn it weird. She took a deep breath before deciding what to respond.

Queen Bitch: You really know how to kill the ‘kind coworker’ vibes don’t you Reed?

annoying bitch face: Oh come on babe don’t be like that

Queen Bitch: Stop calling me babe and I’ll think about not kicking you in the teeth when I get to work today

annoying bitch face: Someone’s in a bad mood, would a hug make you feel better? ;)

Queen Bitch: I’m not in a bad mood, I’m in no mood to deal with your bs. Stfu

Queen Bitch: Sorry Gavin

Queen Bitch: I’ll see you at 9

annoying bitch face: It’s alright. I’ll try to lay off the flirting today

Queen Bitch: Wow is that a drop of humanity I detect?

annoying bitch face: Ok now its your turn to stfu

Juno laughed as she read that maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy once you eventually got what you needed to through his thick skull. All the noise finally disturbed the rather large Alaskan Malamute that had been sleeping at the end of her bed. “Oh! I’m sorry Charlie! I didn’t mean to wake you. Bree is coming over to walk you after I head out for work… I was going to let you sleep until then.” Juno felt bad, Charlie had had a rough night because she had a rough night. He had been up with her the whole time after Hank left when she was up crying about what had happened. She wasn’t sure why she was so upset. She had just met that whole family. She didn’t have a strong attachment to any of them. No lifelong friends or anything. She guessed it was because Carl was just such a kind old man, Marina was an adorable child, and Markus… 

She couldn’t dwell on it. She had to get up and start her day. He would have wanted her to continue on. She cleared her mind and looked at her dog, patting him on the head gently. His tail began to wag. “I’m so happy I have you boy. We’ll go make breakfast in a minute, I need to make sure I don’t have any other important messages or anything, okay?” 

The dog barked happily, hopping off the end of the bed. He used his nose to open the cracked bedroom door. She laughed again, knowing that he was excited about her being in a better mood, and about breakfast. She turned her attention back to her phone to notice there were a few messages from Hank. They came in after Juno had put her phone on the charger for the night. She pushed the messages open.

Today 2:41 AM

Phucking Password: Hope you get some rest tonight kid. You’re going to need it tomorrow

Phucking Password: Our duo has been turned into a trio without our permission 

Phucking Password: They came up with some new fancy Android that is supposed to help with investigations and it’s assigned to the two of us.

Phucking Password: Lucky us, right?

Phucking Password: Anyways, I’ll see you sometime tomorrow kid

Today 6:21 AM

Queen Bitch: Thanks for the heads up Hank, but I’m sure they’re a real charmer

Queen Bitch: Hope you’re getting some sleep too, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around noon lmao

A new android huh? That should be interesting. She got herself out of bed, much to the excitement of Charlie who was waiting just on the other side of the door. “You ready for breakfast boy?!” He let out a single bark as a reply, “I’m going to assume that was a yes.”

Juno’s apartment was a decent size, but it was all an open floor plan, so she walked from her bedroom, through the living and dining areas straight to the kitchen. She pulled out a can of Charlie’s favorite food and prepared it as quickly as she could. Charlie was starting to get antsy, jumping up so his front paws went off the ground a few inches. As Juno moved his food from the counter to his corner where his water bowl was, the oversized puppy spun in circles. Once the food was safely on the floor she moved to write a note for Bree, her best friend/coffee shop buddy/dog walker that Charlie had already been fed. 

Since she was up earlier than usual and running on less sleep than usual, she decided to get ready and stop at her favorite coffee shop on the way to work. She walked back to her room and picked through her closet to find the comfiest black slacks she could find, a blue button-down shirt, and her trusty goto black blazer. She quickly changed out of her pjs and into her work clothes before heading into the bathroom. She grimaced when she looked in the mirror. The black eye had gotten so much worse overnight, it was definitely going to take some serious makeup to cover it. She just didn’t know what to do about the finger-shaped bruises on her neck aside from put on a scarf. She shuttered at the flashback that came to mind, quickly working to cover her eye in foundation and concealer. 

After the job was done, she grabbed a white scarf from her closet and her pair of combat boots that were on the floor near her bedroom door. Once she got both of those situated and grabbed her ebony trench coat from the back of the door, she grabbed her badge. She was ready to start her day. 

~ ~ ~

“Oh, Detective Kamski! I’m surprised to see you out and about this early in the morning, you were always one for sleeping in as late as possible,” the chipper voice entered Juno’s ears as soon as she stepped inside the small shop. She should have known Bree would be here, she always gets coffee and sketches in the mornings before walking Charlie.

“Why do you always insist on calling me that when I’m in uniform Bree? I’m still the same person,” Juno chuckled as she walked further into the shop so she could wait in line. Bree got up from her table to wait with her.

“Because silly! You got the best of both worlds, you got your dream 9 to 5 job and you’re a famous artist! You’ve earned the title of detective, so I like to call you it,” Bree said with her usual cheesy grin.

Juno’s cheeks heated up a bit, “Geez Bree, you really know how to make a girl blush,” She paused for a moment, turning her attention to the cashier, “I’d like a small Caffè Latte with almond milk please.”

“That will be 3.49,” the android responded back. Juno quickly swiped her card, “That will be ready for you in a minute Ms. Juno.”

“Thank you,” she replied as she moved to sit back at the table where Bree had been. 

“Back on the subject of blushing, meet any cute people lately?” Bree asked excitedly. Ever since they were young Bree was the ‘I want to get married and have kids’ type. 

Juno’s smile faltered a little bit, thinking of Markus, “Not really… uhmm… any cute girls come your way yet?”

Bree let out a long sigh and pouted, “No and it’s terrible. I want a girlfriend that I can take on cute coffee dates.”

Juno laughed as the waiter android brought her drink over to her, “Thank you very much,” she said before turning her attention back to her friend, “Well until you get a girlfriend you always have a best friend you can take on cute platonic coffee dates,” Juno replied as she took the first sip of her drink. It definitely hit the spot. 

“But you’re always working!” Bree whined, “It’s no wonder the only person ever flirts with you is that stupid detective.”

Juno nearly choked on her coffee, “Wow that’s harsh Bree,” both girls knew the other one was just light-heartedly teasing, “But now that you mention him, he’s actually the reason I’m up and out of my apartment so early.”

Bree gave Juno a perplexed look, “Why is he the reason? He’s not stalking you at home now is he?” Bree asked, raising one eyebrow.

“What? No!” Juno laughed, “I had a bit of a rough night last night, was caught in the middle of something on the way home from the gallery,” she said, venting honestly to her best friend. She didn’t want to mention Markus though, “Anyways, he texted me at the crack of dawn to see if I was alright.”

“Wow that sounds completely out of character for him,” Bree responded, “Are you alright though?” 

“Yeah of course! Nothing, but a few bruises. Could have been worse,” Juno brushed it aside, Bree knew better than to pressure her, “But don’t be too shocked, he went right back to his ‘Babe’ ways as soon as I told him I was okay.”

Bree rolled her eyes before taking another sip of her drink, “Why am I not surprised at all?”

“Because it’s not all that astonishing,” Juno replied. She looked at the clock on her phone, “I, unfortunately, have to go if I want to be to work on time.”

“Aw no! Come on a few more minutes!” Bree begged.

“I’m sorry, it’s like you said, I earned the title of Detective, I wouldn’t want to lose it because I was playing hooky. Charlie will be excited to see you though and as soon as I get a day off you and me will do whatever you want for the whole day.”

“Whatever I want?” Bree said with a smirk.

“Whatever you want,” Juno said as she stood up and adjusted her coat. 

“Blind double date?” Bree asked.

“Okay… anything, but that,” Juno answered as she laughed her way out of the building. 

~ ~ ~

The young detective arrived at the precinct a few minutes later. It took her a little longer than usual, but she still managed to arrive a few minutes before her shift was actually supposed to start. She settled down at her desk, getting everything situated for the day. She worked peacefully organizing case files for a few minutes before the sound of an unknown voice hit her ears, “Excuse me,” the voice wasn’t talking to her, but her head perked up nonetheless, “Do you know what time Lieutenant Anderson usually arrives?” The voice belonged to an android man. Tall, sharp coat, and amazing features. This has to be the android Hank had mentioned.

“Depends on where he was the night before… if we’re lucky we’ll see him before noon,” The officer replied.

“Perhaps Detective Kamski is a bit more timely?” The android asked.

“Indeed I am,” Juno said, finally speaking up even though he had been fairly close to her desk the whole time, “You must be the android Hank mentioned,” She stuck her hand out for him to shake. He was at first confused by that, but he only took a second before taking her offer.

^ Software Instability ^

“He told me a lot about you, he disappeared for a half an hour to help you with something last night. When I inquired about it, he shrugged me off,” The Android paused for a moment, thinking about how he should end his sentence, “Are you alright?”

Juno looked to the floor. She liked keeping eye contact with this particular android because, in all honesty, his eyes were really pretty, but when he asked her that she couldn’t keep the act going, “Yes. Thank you for asking…” She lingered, waiting for him to say his name.

“Connor, I am the android sent by Cyberlife.”

“Well it’s lovely to meet you Connor, and like I said before, thank you for asking.”

“Of course,” He said with a small smile. It was so precious.

“Hey, Kamski stop making googly eyes at the new Android and get back to work,” Hank said as he entered the area of desks and started to make his way towards his own. 

Juno sits back down in her desk chair with a huff. She crosses her arms, “Oh look what the cat dragged in, like your one to talk Drinks-a-lot.”

Hank rolled his eyes, “I guess we all have our things.”

Connor was about to cut into the conversation and ask for a desk when Fowler cut in instead, “Kamski, I need to talk to you.”

“Coming Captain,” She replied quickly, getting up from her chair. Hank and Connor watched her wipe the sweat off her hands on her pants. Fowler made her nervous.

“Don’t stress kid, you know that he just wants to talk to you about last night,” Hank said, trying to calm her down.

“Yeah that’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” she answered before she made her way to Fowler’s entirely glass office. Once the door shut behind her, she looked towards the Captain, “What did you need to talk to me about sir?”

“I’m going to need a full report on the events of last night detective. I really need another cop to interview you as well. We are holding Leo Manfred in custody, but we need a testament as to why he should be here. Carl has refused to comment at all on the situation,” Fowler explained. “There’s only so much I can do to accommodate your shyness in these circumstances Kamski. I can have Anderson or Reed do the interview if you’d be more comfortable with one of them doing it.”

“Out of those options, I would take Hank any day of the week,” Juno replied honestly, even though she would rather not be doing this at all.

“Alright. Thank you for your cooperation Kamski,” Fowler answered, gesturing towards the door. Juno went to exit and he followed close behind. The pair made their way to Connor and Hank who suddenly pretended like they weren’t watching intently. 

“Lieutenant Anderson, you are to interview Detective Kamski on the events of last night in as much detail as you can get.”

“As much as I respect you. Don’t you think it’s a little early to have her relive a traumatic experience like that Captain?” Hank lowered his voice, “She could have died.”

“I’m sorry Hank, I don’t have a choice. She’s the only witness who can and is willing to stand against the suspect.”

Hank looked to Juno, he could tell that she was really stressing out. Though when Connor looked at Juno, he was more concerned than anything else. He could see that she was covering a black eye with makeup and there were definitely bruises on her neck under that scarf. What happened to her last night that she got hurt?

~ ~ ~

“So this is really how this is going to be huh?” Hank asked his partner, clearly getting very annoyed with her quiet behavior. He usually had no problem if she didn’t want to speak on a topic, but this was getting old fast. They both knew she couldn’t leave this room until she talked about what happened last night. “Would you prefer if Reed did this?” Hank asked, fresh out of ideas. Gavin was watching from the other side of the two-way mirror. He crossed his fingers, Connor was confused by that. 

“No,” Juno said softly, she was shutting down. Hank could tell if he didn’t get it out of her soon he was probably never going to get her to talk about it. That was how she operated, how she functioned in life.

He thought for a moment before letting out a sigh, “How about the new Android?”

Juno’s head perked up, she looked towards the two-way mirror, knowing he had to be on the other side watching this whole thing. “Alright.”

Hank didn’t understand why, but Juno always seemed to do better with Androids than with people so he wasn’t surprised that she would have an easier time talking to Connor about a sensitive topic than him. He stood up and walked out of the interrogation room. He looked Connor up and down, “It’s your time to shine android. See if you can get her to talk to you about what happened last night. Though I will warn you, if you make her cry I will rip your circuits out.”

“Understood Lieutenant,” Connor replied before he started walking towards the door.

“Woah hold on, tin can,” Reed sneered as he grabbed Connor’s shoulder, “We can’t just let him be in a room alone with her right now Hank.”

“Why not? She doesn’t want to talk to me and she definitely doesn’t want to talk to you, so logically there’s one option left,” The older officer shrugged.

“But he’s an android. Don’t you think that she needs to have human contact right now?” Reed retorted.

“If she wanted a hug she would have hugged me when I came in Detective. I’m the senior officer, and I say the android goes in, so the android goes in,” Hank fired back. He turned towards Connor, “Go ahead.”

Connor nodded, pulling his shoulder away from Gavin and walking into the interrogation room. Hank and Gavin watch intently as Connor sat down across from Juno. Juno gave a soft smile, “Hi Connor.”

“Hello, Detective Kamski, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about last night?” Connor asked in a soft voice, he needed to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.

She played with her fingers, her elbows resting on the table and her eyes focused on her nails, “You can call me Juno, and you can ask me some if I can ask you some… does that sound fair?” She asked quietly.

Connor was a bit taken back by the compromise, but he didn’t see anything wrong with it, “It does Juno,” Connor replied giving her a smile, “So what happened last night?”

“That’s a rather broad question,” Juno replied, her nails still interesting to her, but she flicked her eyes up to look at Connor every little while. He was starting to gain her trust. He was pulling her out of her shut down. 

“Okay, I’ll make it more narrow. What did you do after work? Did you go straight home or did you stop somewhere along the way?”

“I left work at 3 and went straight home. Then I got ready for the party at the art gallery that I was invited to a few months back,” Juno answered.

“Alright, what-” Juno shook her head, Connor promptly stopped his question and gave her a questioning look.

“It’s my turn to ask you a question Connor,” Juno stated as she finally rested her hands on the table and turned her attention completely to Connor.

He knew it was best to go along with her game, so he took the bait, “Okay. What would you like to know?”

“Start simple I guess, what’s your favorite color?” Juno inquired, Gavin rolled his eyes while Connor gave her another confused look.

“I don’t have a favorite color, my system can only register color in terms of aesthetics to read them. I don’t see colors in the same way that you do,” he replied honestly.

Juno huffed a bit, thinking for a moment before responding, “I’ll rephrase the question then… What color do the sensors in your system find the most aesthetically pleasing?”

Connor thought back through his memories. He could tell that Juno would know if he tried to lie. It makes sense, her older brother is the inventor of all androids. He couldn’t think of an answer at first, but when he went to tell her that, he made eye contact with her. Her eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, a tint of blue hidden as well, “I like the color of your eyes,” He said plainly.

Juno’s cheeks turn a shade of red as the heat rose to her face. Gavin was fuming on the outside of the room, “Did he just use a really crappy pickup line?!”

Hank looked at the two, “I don’t think that was a pickup line, I think he just genuinely answered the question.” 

Things were sure going to be interesting with Connor around…


	5. Coffee, Resurrection, and Bad News

Connor- RK800

After finishing the interview with Juno, Connor made his way to the small break area to get some more coffee for her. He had seen the empty cup on her desk when they made it back into the main section of the station and asked her if there was anything he could get for her. He wasn’t really all that surprised that she wanted more coffee, even though her first cup was obviously not from the lounge. She had opened up to him a bit and seemed to be in a better mood than when Hank was trying to get her to talk, but she still looked worn out. She gave him a small smile that would make a human’s heart flutter. Connor felt an odd feeling in his chest as he officially entered the small room. Maybe that is why he didn’t see Detective Gavin Reed sitting at a table with another police officer. He had left interrogation a few minutes before Connor had finished talking with Juno.

“Shit…” Gavin said under his breath before getting Connor’s attention, “You must really think your slick, somehow convincing Hank that you should be the one to interview Juno.”

“Hello to you too, Detective Reed. As for why I was the one who worked with Detective Kamski, Hank seemed to believe that she would open up more quickly to an android than to a human. His assumptions seem to be correct,” Connor kept his cool, but so did Reed at that moment.

Gavin got up from his seat and walked over to stand in front of Connor, “I’ve never seen an android like you before… What model are you?”

Connor was confused at to Gavin’s response, but he went along with it, “RK800. I’m a prototype.”

“A prototype?” Gavin retorted in an almost cynical tone. He turned back to the other cop who was still sitting at the table, “Android detective…” He said, gesturing at Connor. Connor gave the other officer a small smile before Gavin turned his attention back to the android, “So machines are gonna replace us all… is that it?” Connor was going to respond when Gavin continued, “What are you even doing in here tin can?”

“I am here to get Detective Kamski some more coffee,” Connor replied honestly, he didn’t want to set this man off if possible.

“Hey, she’s got the right idea. Bring me a coffee dipshit!” Connor was slightly taken back, feeling like it wouldn’t be so bad to set him off after all. It was a quick turn around, but he really wasn’t a fan of Gavin’s now controlling tone. “GET A MOVE ON!” Connor considered for a moment getting him coffee as well, but then he continued, “and when you're done, give me both mine and Juno’s coffee, I’ll take it to her and then maybe she’ll get it through her apparently thick skull that you a machine. I don’t know why she wanted to talk to you, Hank and I are the ones who are actually capable of caring about her.”

“I’m sorry, but I only take orders from Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Kamski. Additionally, I will be the one who takes her coffee to her, because she is expecting me to bring it. I also will be the one taking it to her because I perceive that you have a remarkable ability to make her uncomfortable. She’s had a hard enough day already, wouldn’t you say Detective Reed?”

Gavin’s face contorted into anger before he punched Connor straight in the stomach. Even though Connor can’t become winded, he can lose his balance if it is thrown off. He fumbled over, catching himself with his knees and with his hand that wasn’t clutching his stomach. “When a human gives you an order, you obey. Got it? Stay out of my way… Next time, you won’t get off so easy.” Gavin flicked Connor on the forehead and was about to leave when he froze at the site of the person standing in front of him.

“What the actual hell Gavin?!” Juno yelled. It was pretty obvious from her tone she had at least seen the forehead flick, but Connor guessed she had probably heard more, “Why do you insist on treating androids like shit?”

“What the fuck? Seriously you’re going to protect him over me?” Gavin spat.

“Yeah I am, you’re the one who punched Connor, not the other way around. Do us a favor and don’t talk to us for the next 50 years,” Juno fired back.

Gavin was shocked, “You’re so fucking unbelievable Juno. I reached out to you this morning to see if you were okay after you were almost killed by a druggy and now you want to shut me out because I punched your fucking precious prototype detective? I’m so done with you.”

Juno rolled her eyes and was about to speak for herself again, but Connor stepped in, “You have no right to talk to her like Detective Reed,” He said still trying to readjust his sensors on the ground. His voice sounded a tiny bit strained, Juno could tell.

“Hey, stay out of this Robo-Ass,” Reed clapped back.

“Just go back to work Reed,” Juno sneered, her skin turning bright pink. This was way too much excitement for one 24 hour period. 

“Fine, come and get me when you get your fucking head on straight,” He jeered as he and the other officer left the room.

Juno immediately turned to Connor and wrapped her hands around one of his arms to help pull him up, “I’m so sorry Connor. Reed can be such an ass. Are you alright?”

Connor turned to look Juno in the eye as he came to stand completely upright. He could see the worry and sadness in her eyes.

^ Software Instability ^

“I’m… I’m alright Detective. You have nothing to apologize for, but thank you,” Connor replied as she pulled her hands away from. That spot suddenly felt colder than normal to him. It was odd, he might have to do a system check after work today.

“Okay if you're sure. How about I make my coffee and you get started on reviewing case files? There’s an empty desk next to Hank and across from me,” She answered with a soft smile.

“I’ll get right on it De- I mean… Juno.”

~ ~ ~

Markus- RK200

The horrible memories played in his head as he started to come into consciousness. He went to the party with Marina and Carl, all going as planned until they meant an interesting artist by the name of Juno Kamski. The little sister of one Elijah Kamski. She was a bit shy, but overall charming, beautiful, and seemed in some way interested in him. What that exactly entailed Markus wasn’t sure. His curiosity was still peaked when she asked him to dance and prompted him with questions that almost seemed like things Carl would ask, but bolder. He became excited yet confused by her when she agreed to stop by for a quick tour of the studio. She got along with Marina so well and was just a nice person in general… so why did the night have to take a wretched turn for the worse?

There was a light on in the studio and Markus was sure that he didn’t leave one on. Juno stood up to the plate, shocking Markus a bit, but she was a police officer after all. She wanted to protect not just Carl, but him as well. He found it odd, but when he saw that the threat was Leo, something in him knew he had to protect her. When Leo attacked her, he panicked, his system going into overdrive and ignoring Carl’s orders. He leaped into action to save her life, but the officers who came to check on the disturbance didn’t see it that way. That’s really where the true horror started, his last thoughts of Marina filled his mind and the sounds of Juno sobbing, calling out to him filled his ears as he shut down. 

That’s what lead him to be here, the rain pouring down on him, broken in several places. He peeled his eyes open to see his new found home to be the junkyard. He couldn’t hear or see properly, he knew he needed to replace several parts to get out of here and blend in in the real world. He also knew he couldn’t give up, Marina was counting on him and Juno… Juno was no doubt upset and he wanted her to know he was okay. She didn’t need to cry over him.

He forced his body to move, scrounging around for the proper parts with thoughts of Marina, Juno, Carl, and dry clothes filled his head. He felt different since he snapped to save Juno. He could feel more, he could probably answer Juno’s rather forward questions better and he would probably relate to Marina more. He smiled at those thoughts as he gathered the last part he needed, a compatible eye, and looked around clearly for the first time since he had woken up. His first stop would be to find Jericho like the one android had told him to do while he was searching, then he’d figure out what to do next. He needed to get back to Marina and get word to Juno, no matter what it takes. 

~ ~ ~

Juno Kamski 

After Connor sat down, he figured it would be best to just focus on working more than a conversation with Hank. He did ask what his dog’s name was, but that was about all the conversation that happened between the two before Juno sat down at her desk that was across from Connor’s. She smiled softly at him before turning her attention towards her computer. Her hands were a little bit shaky, no doubt from all the excitement with Reed, but otherwise, she seemed fine. Hank caught this little detail though, “You okay Kamski?”

She laughed a bit, “Oh yeah I’m just peachy Hank. Not like it’s been the most stressful 24 hours of my life or anything.”

“Well, you seemed fine when you were working a few minutes ago. Then you went to check on Connor… Connor, what did you do?”  
Connor’s attention was pulled from analyzing Juno at the sound of Hank saying his name, “What? I-”

“It’s nothing that Connor did Hank, it’s everything to do with what that asshole Reed has ever done though,” She gritted through her teeth as she continued to scan through files on her computer.

“Woah, I thought you were on good terms, what happened to that?” Hank asked.

“He punched Connor in the gut and threatened him. No one does that to a member of my team and gets away with it,” He replied.

Hank nodded in response before looking at Connor. He knew that Juno was an extremely caring person, but he was sometimes about how caring she was. “Sorry to disturb you Detective Kamski, Lieutenant Anderson. I have some information on the AX400 that attacked the guy last night, it’s been seen in the Ravendale district.”

Hank and Juno looked at each other before a smile made its way onto Juno’s face, “We’re on it,” the partners said in unison. 

The other cop smiled back a Juno before only addressing her, “I’m sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this Detective, but someone posted bail for the guy who attacked you last night.”

Juno’s face went pale, “What?!” she replied in a panicked tone. 

The officer was about to respond, but Juno and others heard a laugh coming from the main pathway. “That’s right Detective Kamski, I’m gonna waltz right out the front door and there’s nothing you can do to stop me,” Leo called in her direction as he was being led out by two officers, one of which was Reed.

Juno heard Reed tell him to shut up as he shoved his shoulder forward, but a shiver went down her spine at the thought of him being loose on the streets again so quickly. Was there no just for Markus? For Marina? For her? Apparently not. “Are you alright Juno?” Connor asked, getting up from his desk in prep for leaving. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me Connor,” she answered as she prepared to leave as well, “I just wish I could get justice for that family. He tore them apart.” She turned back to the officer that was still in the middle of their quad, “Do you know who posted the bail?”

The officer shrugged, “Some shady looking guy in his late 20s or early 30s. They had him show his ID and everything, but that’s all I really know… I know we didn’t get to keep him behind bars this time, but I’m sure he’ll strike again with something similar or he’ll get bust for drugs. Try not to stress about it too much.”

She sighed, “Thank you for letting me know, I’ll have to let his father know so he locks up his house extra tight in the coming days.” The officer nodded before excusing himself. Juno finished putting on her coat, looking to Connor and Hank, “What are you boys waiting for? Let’s go catch ourselves a deviant!”


	6. Disappointed Detective

Juno Kamski & Connor- RK800

Juno, Connor, and Hank made their way to their police car, but when they made it there, they realized there was a small decision to make; who is going to sit where. Juno thought about it a moment and was going to offer Connor the front seat, but he made the offer first. She shook her head, “It’s okay Connor, you can have the front seat.”

“I insist Juno, you take the front seat,” Connor replied with a bright smile as he opened the door for her. Hank rolled his eyes, but said nothing. 

“Well, if you insist,” Juno answered with a light blush on her cheeks. She moved to get inside the car, Connor shutting the door behind her before making his way to the backseat. 

The three of them made their way to the Ravendale district in mostly comfortable silence. None of them really knew how to broach the subject at hand, Juno was trying to keep calm. She still couldn’t believe that Leo had gotten out, couldn’t Fowler have done something to stop him from getting out? She didn’t have much time to really think about it though, they were soon met with their destination. The three of them got out of the car and made their way to speak with other officers that were already on the scene. “We’ve got officers sweeping the neighborhood, in case anybody saw anything,” the main officer told them.

Hank nodded, “Let me or Detective Kamski know if they turn anything up.”

The officer nodded, “What are you gonna do with that?” He asked, gesturing to Connor who was standing near the car still. 

“I have no idea,” Hank said honestly.

“I have plenty of ideas,” Juno said, she tried to keep a straight face, but ended up making a snort-filled laughing noise. 

Hank rolled his eyes, “I will never understand you Kamski.”

She smiled at him, “You don’t have to Anderson, you just have to put up with me,” She then turned her attention to Connor, “Hey Con! Why don’t you and I go look around and see if we can spot anything out of the ordinary?” She asked. 

He nodded, making his way over to her, “Sounds like a good idea Juno, we should start down the sidewalks in this area since the bus would have stopped there…” He replied, pointing in the direction of the bus stop.

“Lead the way Mr. Prototype Detective,” Juno responded. Connor started to walk and she followed closely behind. “It took the first bus that came along… and stayed at the end of the line. Its decision wasn’t planned, it was driven by fear.”

Hank, who the two hadn’t realized was following them, spoke up, “Androids don’t feel fear.”

“Deviants do,” Connor shot back, “They get overwhelmed by their emotions and make irrational decisions.”

“While that is useful to know, that still doesn’t tell us exactly where she went,” Juno chimed in, taking in her surroundings as deeply as she could. 

“It didn’t have a plan, and it had nowhere to go. Maybe it didn’t go far…” Connor suggested. 

Juno thought for a moment, “That would make sense. I mean, I know androids don’t feel things such as being cold or uncomfortable, but it was dark and raining last night. She was scared, lost, and confused. If I were her I would have found a place to camp out.”

The three continued to walk down the sidewalk in search of anything that might help them find the android. Juno was about to speak up about something when her thoughts were interrupted by a yelling cop, “THERE IT IS!”

Their three heads all snapped in the direction of the sound, their eyes moving from the officer to the rogue android who was now running with a little girl beside her. Connor took off after them and without even thinking about, Juno chased after Connor. He was extremely hard to keep up with, Juno’s legs were screaming at her to rest, her lungs burning like the exercise caused a fire to start in her lungs. She wanted to stop, she needed to stop, but something in her wouldn’t let her. Her gut knew something bad would happen if she didn’t keep an eye on Connor. He was an android with a mission, after all, he would do anything to complete it. 

After weaving haphazardly through traffic, Juno was only about fifteen feet behind Connor, who was only about ten feet from the android and the child. Hank had somehow managed to get a few feet in front of her, so when Connor made it to the fence that the two runaways had jumped and he started to climb, Hank was the first to tell him to stop. “Connor no, you’re gonna get yourself killed!” The Lieutenant scolded. 

Connor still looked like he was considering it, his LED flashing yellow. Juno reached him as he grabbed the metal chain link, she grabbed his free hand, “Connor no! It’s not worth jumping into traffic to try to catch them.”

Connor looked intently at her, the expression on her face clearly showed worry. His hand that was in hers felt warm and his sensors were going wild. His hand that was holding the fence let go in an instant as if it were instinct.

^ Software Instability ^

“It’s okay Juno… I won’t go. You’re right it is extremely risky. The probability-” He was cut off by Juno suddenly pulling her hand away from him. He was almost disappointed, but he was soon surprised with a full-on hug from the small detective. Her arms wrapped tightly around his back, her face buried in his chest. As if it were natural to him, he began to hug her back, one arm on her upper back and the other resting on the back of her head. “Detective…” his throat went dry, something he didn’t know was possible. His sensors in complete overdrive, his computer unable to figure out what to say.

“You’re one of us Connor no matter what anyone else says, so don’t you ever scare me like that again,” She replied softly, hugging him a little bit tighter.

^ Software Instability ^

^ Software Instability ^

^ Software Instability ^

Connor blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the error messages as Juno pulled away. Hank cleared his throat, “It won’t get far. We’ll find it again sooner or later. Let’s go.” 

“Yeah, I’m starving. Think we could get food soon Hank?” Juno asked.

“Sure Juno. Let’s grab lunch before we figure out what to do next,” Hank said as he started to walk out of the alley. 

Juno started to walk, but quickly noticed that Connor was still looking at the spot where she had been standing. “Con? You okay?” 

The sound of her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “Yes, let’s go Detective.”

~ ~ ~

Juno Kamski

The three police workers ended up having to run around for a while before they could get lunch, but after a few hours of working, they were finally able to stop for a break. Connor had heard Juno’s stomach growling several times and he wished they could have stopped sooner, but he was glad they could at least stop now. Hank stopped on the side of the street, across the way was a food truck. He instantly hopped out of the car and almost got hit by another one. Juno giggled, “Hank was never really one for looking where he was going.” She made her way out of the car as well and crossed the street after making sure that there was no oncoming traffic. “Hey, Hank, Juno, how are you doing?” The owner asked.

“Eh, you know, the same old shit. This kid’s a real piece of work,” Hank teased. 

Juno huffed and crossed her arms, “You act as if you’re the easiest person in the world to work with old man.” 

The owner laughed a bit before asking his own question, “Plastic with you?”

“Only temporarily,” Hank replied.

Juno pouted, “Don’t say it like you’re happy about it Hank. We make a great trio.” 

Hank scoffed, “More like you and the robot make a good duo and I’m the weird out of touch third wheel.”

“I mean you’re weird and out of touch, but you’re not a third wheel,” Juno replied.

“Gee, thanks, kid.”

Juno giggled, “Don’t mention it.” At that moment, Connor came up behind the pair, “Hey if it isn’t my favorite android,” she said with a smile.

^ Software Instability ^

Connor felt his cheeks flush, something else he also didn’t know was possible. If she didn’t stop that he might go deviant before they even catch a single one that was already out there. “What is your deal? Don’t you ever do as you’re told?” Hank had told Connor to wait in the car, that they would only be a minute, but Connor couldn’t resist being around Juno. He knew in a few hours he would have to go back to Cyberlife and he wouldn’t see her again until tomorrow. He needed to figure out what it was about her that made his system go haywire. “Look you don’t have to follow me around like a poodle, you can follow Juno around all you want, but I need my piece and quiet human time.”

Juno giggled yet again as Connor thought about what to say, “I’m sorry for my behavior back at the alleyway, I didn’t mean to worry either of you.” 

Hank chuckled, “Oh wow, you’ve even got a brown-nosing apology program! Guys at Cyberlife thought of everything Huh?”

“It’s okay Connor, just think things through more carefully next time, it’s going to be no fun for any of us if you get hurt,” Juno replied.

Connor was about to say something back when the guy in the food truck got their attention, “here you go.”

“Thanks, Gary we’re starving,” Hank replied as he took a tray from the man that contained both his and Juno’s food. 

“Don’t leave that thing here!” He responded. 

Juno shot him a glare, “He’s not a thing, his name is Connor, and don’t worry he’s coming with us,” she snapped as she hooked her arm around his and pulled Connor with her to the standing table Hank was already at. His arm felt warm where there was contact. A light buzzed filled his senses. What was it with her?

“Hey go easy on Gary, he just doesn’t like androids,” Hank scolded. 

Juno stuck her tongue out at him in response before grabbing her burger from the tray, “Thanks for the food, Hank.”

“No problem kid. Next lunch is on you though.”

“I can live with that, we are so getting pizza,” Juno replied as she took a bite of the greasy food. She wasn’t a huge fan of this place, but she had come to know it quite well because Hank liked it. However, at this moment, this tasted like the best burger in existence because she was so hungry.

“I’ll go where ever you want to, as long as you’re paying.”

“Hank, Juno, your meals contain 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level. You shouldn’t eat that,” Connor intervened.

Hank shrugged, “Everybody’s gotta die of something.”

“Honestly, on a normal day I would agree with you Connor, but with how hungry I am I just don’t care,” Juno answered.

“Do you two eat here often?” Connor asked.

Hank nodded at the android, “Most days. Gary makes the best burgers in Detroit.”

“I’ll usually pack a lunch and stand here with him while he eats, but with all the stuff that happened last night, I forgot. Also, I totally disagree on the burger thing, I make pretty great burgers.”

“Yeah, veggie burgers,” Hank snarled.

Juno rolled her eyes, “You should really give them a try sometime Hank, I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

“What did I tell you about making promises you can’t keep Juno?” Hank asked with a smirk.

Juno gasped, “Hank Anderson how dare you!”

“Sorry to interrupt, but since we have a few minutes and I’ve gotten to know both of you fairly well. Is there anything more you like to know about me?” Connor proposed.

“Hell no,” Hank responded too quickly, “Well, yeah, umm… Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?”

Juno nearly choked on her burger as Connor answered the slightly odd question, “Cyberlife Androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration.” 

“Well they fucked up,” Hank stated matter-of-factly.

“Hank!” Juno yelped.

“What?”

“You don’t just say shit like that! I think Connor looks very nice and has a soothing voice,” Juno reprimanded.

^ Software Instability ^

“First of all Juno, watch your language, second of all that’s your opinion, and I have every right to state mine.”

Juno was about to fire back when Connor quickly tired to change the subject, “Maybe I should fill you two in on what we know about Deviants?”

“You read my mind…” Hank said sarcastically. 

“That’d be helpful Connor!”

“We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion.”

“In English please.”

“He’s saying that they don’t feel emotions the way that we do, they just get overwhelmed by all these irrational instructions,” Juno chimed in.

Hank looked at her surprised, “What? You think my brother created the first computer to pass the Turing test and I didn’t learn a few things from him?”

“Impressive,” Connor said with a soft smile, “Those instructions can cause them to act unpredictably.”

“Emotions always screw everything up,” Hank answered, “Maybe androids aren’t as different from us as we thought. You ever dealt with Deviants before?”

Connor thought back for a moment, an image of a deviant holding a little girl hostage on a rooftop flashed in his mind, “A few months back… A deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl… I managed to save her.”

Juno gave Connor’s shoulder a light squeeze, she could tell that there was some kind of turmoil going on with that memory. He silently thanked her for that. “So, I guess you’ve done all your homework, right? Know everything there is to know about me and Juno?”

“I know you graduated at the top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest Lieutenant in Detroit. I also know you’ve received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars,” Connor finished, then turned his attention to Juno, “I know that you’re no idler either Juno. You, like your brother, are very gifted in the intelligence department and went to college early, graduating with a Ph.D. in Forensic Science, a Masters in Criminal Justice, and a Bachelors in Art Therapy by the time you were 22. You then went to the police academy and graduated at the top of your class as well. You have been working with Lieutenant Anderson since your first day of work two years ago, but you got the title of Detective six months ago.”

“So, what’s your conclusion?” Hank asked. 

“I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge, but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features,” Connor replied honestly. 

“What about Little Miss Sunshine over there?” Hank asked gesturing to Juno, “What’s your conclusion about her?”

Connor thought for a moment, his cheeks yet again getting hot. He started to process what he wanted to say, but was interrupted by a report coming in and his LED blinking yellow. “I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It’s a few blocks away. We should go have a look. I’ll let you finish your meal. I’ll be in the car if you need me.”

The android walked away, leaving an intrigued Lieutenant and very disappointed Detective behind.


	7. Safe with Him

Juno Kamski & Connor- RK800 

“Hey, Connor! You run out of batteries or what?” Hank asked as he stepped off the elevator. Connor had closed his eyes during one point of the ride and had become completely unresponsive. Juno would be lying if she said there wasn’t a twinge of worry that ran through her, but she wasn’t exactly happy with him at the moment so she wasn’t going to show that concern.

“I’m sorry, I was making a report to Cyberlife,” Connor replied.

Juno glanced at him before walking down the hall. Hank shot a confused look at the back of her head before turning his attention back to Connor, “Uh… Well, do you plan on staying in the elevator?”

“No! I’m coming,” Connor exclaimed.

“What do we know about this guy?” Hank asked as Connor left the elevator.

“Not much. Just that a neighbor reported hearing strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody’s supposed to be living up here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap,” Connor explained as he examined a few parts of the hallway. He was supposed to be looking for any signs that an android had been up here recently, but his eyes and his mind kept wondering to Juno who was examining something on the wall aways down. Ever since lunch, she hasn’t said a word to him. The whole car ride to this apartment building she kept her eyes trained out the window, not talking with him or Hank. Were the events of yesterday really taking a toll on her or was she upset with Connor specifically about something? He couldn’t tell. CyberLife was supposed to have equipt him with the best expression reading technology out there, but he felt like it was useless when it came to Juno. He might just have to ask her when they got a minute if she was alright. 

“Christ, if we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we are gonna need more cops,” Hank spat. He and Juno were now both near the door of an apartment, Connor made his way over to join them.

“Hey were you really making a report back there in the elevator? Just by closing your eyes?” Hank asked as Connor approached him. Juno’s interest seemed to be taken for a second by the conversation, but she very quickly went back to looking at her shoes. 

“Correct,” Connor replied shortly. 

“Shit… wish I could do that,” Hank said dreamily. 

Juno chuckled a bit as Connor bent down to analyze something he spotted on the floor. He looked up at her after he heard the sound though, “Yeah don’t we all Hank.”

Connor smiled a bit to himself as he focused back on the evidence, maybe she was starting to feel better. Connor analyzed the feathers on the ground, finding that they belonged to pigeons. That wasn't really surprising, this building was dilapidated, it could have easily been taken over by parts of nature. Connor stood up and moved towards the door. He knocked heavily on the old wooden door, a bit surprised that it didn’t just fall inward on contact. Connor looked to Hank and Juno, who both just shrugged at the fact that there wasn’t an answer. Connor knocked even harder this time, “Anybody home? Open up, Detroit Police!”

There was a crashing noise that came from behind the door. Connor backed away and Hank stepped up, raising his gun at the door, “Stay behind me,” He said to both Connor and Juno.  
Connor tried to stay in front of Juno, who also had her gun out, but she shook her head at him and stepped in front him, “I’m armed Con, you’re not.”

Connor nodded as Hank kicked open the door. He and Juno burst through the door, guns aimed in front of them. Juno went left and Hank went right. “Clear!” Juno shouted from her room. Connor couldn’t help, but stare at her when she came out of the room. Connor honestly admired her for standing up to could-be danger after everything that’s happened. 

“Clear!” Hank called from his, pulling the android from his thoughts. Connor had been in the hallway the whole time, but now all three of them were again. They all looked towards the last door at the end of the hall. Hank held his gun close to his chest as he made his way over and kicked open the door. When the door opened enough, some pigeons came flying out, “What the fuck is this?!” 

Juno laughed, relaxing her shoulders and holstering her gun, “Apparently it’s a pigeon coop, Hank,” she replied.

“Thanks for the answer smart ass… Jesus this place stinks,” Hank shot back as he moved farther into the darkened space. 

“Don’t mention it old man,” Juno said with a smirk, “Though you’re not wrong, this place smells worse than a middle school locker room. On the bright side, it looks like we came for nothing.”

“How is that the bright side exactly?” Hank questioned.

“We don’t have to fight any bad guys and we’ll have enough time to get some good coffee before heading back to the station,” Juno answered.

Hank nodded, a small smile on his face, “True, but we should probably give the place a once over before heading out. Our man’s gone, but we might be able to find some clues.”

“Very true, let’s see if there’s anything useful before we blow this popsicle stand,” Juno said before she started to examine one of the scrawlings on the walls. Connor turned his attention away from her and started to do his own investigation. He found various items that suggested a deviant android had definitely been living here and he was starting to piece out where they had run off to. He realized that the crashing sound that they had heard was a birdcage that the suspect had knocked from its perch when he heard Connor knocking. As Connor continued to analyze the scene, Juno came up beside him, noticing how deep in thought he was. She looked around at the scene, starting to piece together why Connor was staring at the ceiling above the chair in the corner of the room. Juno went to pull the gun from her holster as Connor approached the chair. She didn’t have time to pull it out before Connor was knocked off the chair by the feet of the suspect. “Connor!” 

“God damn fuckin’ pigeons!” Hank shouted as he was alerted to what was going on. 

Connor looked at Juno as the suspect ran out the door, “I’m-”

“What are you waiting for?! Chase it!” Hank shouted at the android. Connor was pulled from his thoughts of Juno’s slightly worried eyes and bolted off after the deviant. 

Juno pulled the gun from her holster before instantly taking off after the two androids, she was no match for their speed, but she hoped she could find a short cut to get in front of them. Hank followed close behind Juno, but they both had to stop when the deviant and Connor jumped on to a moving train. “Holy shit,” Hank muttered.

“Come on old man! We can’t lose sight of them!” Juno yelled at Hank as she started to run again, her mind moving as fast as it could to figure out the best path to keep up with the train. Juno watched closely as Connor got off the train safely, she sighed in relief as she found an alternative route. She lost Hank behind her, his slower pace not able to match her almost android level one. She burst out through the rooftop door of the building she was in, surprised to find the deviant, but no Connor. She raised her gun to it, “Freeze! I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to!” She shouted honestly, her grip on her gun tightened. 

The deviant seemed to have other plans though, he launched himself at her quickly, not leaving her enough time to actually shoot him. She dropped her gun in the shuffle, going hand to hand with him. Her muscles were still sore from all the fighting she did with Leo, her scarf that had been attached to her the whole day flying off and getting carried away by the wind. She tried to keep up with him, throwing punches left and right, but he caught both of her arms. She was solely focused on the fight until she saw Connor coming out of the cornfield. The android followed her eyes before taking the opportunity to shove her over the side. “JUNO!” Connor called out in horror as he watched. His system told him to chase the android down, catch him and turn him in for what he did, but when his computer calculated that Juno’s survival rate, thanks to her already present injuries, was only 56% he rushed to help her. 

^ Software Instability ^

Only one of her hands was gripping onto the edge by the time Connor made it over to the ledge. He grabbed the wrist of the hand that was still gripping, her knuckles completely white and red from the tension of holding all her weight. He reached out his other hand, “Grab on! I’ll pull you up!” She quickly took hold, Connor’s sensors going haywire at the contact yet again as he pulled her to safety. Without thinking, he pulled her into a tight hug once she was back on the rooftop, resting one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head as he had in the alleyway earlier in the day. She wrapped her arms around his middle tightly. She no longer cared that he had left her without a conclusion at lunch. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt safe when she was with him.

Markus- RK200

After a long trek of figuring out puzzle after puzzle all over the city, Markus made it here, to a rustle old boat with a single word written on the side in faded letters, ‘Jericho’. He figured that he had made it to the right place, a small smile making its way on to his face as he looked for a way to get across. He figured the old bridge between the dock and the ship wouldn’t be able to hold his weight, so he made his way over to a structure on the dock that had a set of stairs he could climb. He made it up the stairs to find a ladder waiting for him, so he made his way up that as well. At the top of the ladder, he found himself standing a ways away from the edge of the long skinny platform. He knew he would have to jump down on to the ship from here. He looked out at the beautiful sky, he used to love to watch the sunset with Marina. She was so energetic when she would ask why the sun had to go to sleep. Markus would laugh and tell her it was so the moon could come out and play. His smile faltered a bit, he wished he could go back at least to hug Marina goodbye, but he knew he couldn’t… at least not right now. He let out a sigh, clearing his head before he dived down into the ship. 

He landed in one of its water-filled caverns, his only injuries were the ones he already had before jumping. He got out of the water and made his way through the twisting and turning caverns of the ship. Eventually, he found his way to a heavy door, twisting the large knob open took some serious strength, but he had no problem as an android doing it. He walked down the stairs into a large, dimly lit room. He was soon met with several pairs of android eyes as they moved to completely surround him. He looked at the blue eyes of a blond android, “Welcome to Jericho.”


	8. The Scarf

Markus- RK200

“Who are you?” Markus asked, looking around at the androids. 

“Fugitives. Just like you. My name is Josh,” One of the androids who was a little farther back replied with a small smile. 

“I'm Simon,” said the blond android in the middle.

“North,” a female android on the opposite side of Simon as Josh said shortly. 

“This is Jericho?” Markus asked, honestly confused. He was hoping for something a little bit nicer, somewhere he could maybe bring Marina, Juno, and Carl for safety if things got too bad out there. This wasn’t that though, this was a rotten ship that was going to sink if there was too much movement. 

“It’s a refuge for those who don’t want to be slaves anymore... I understand how you feel...but we have more freedom here than you ever did,” Josh explained kindly. Markus thought he seemed nice, but he was overall just concerned. What was he going to do? How would being here help him on his journey?

“I came to Jericho looking for hope... Looks like I'm not gonna find any here...” Markus replied, honestly quite sad. He was down on his luck with this find. At least he had a base and a place to hide for the time being. 

Simon smiled to Markus, “You're lost... Just like the rest of us... We didn’t ask for this. All we can do now is deal with it.”

Josh also gave him a small smile, “You're safe here. You can stay with us as long as you want.”

North nodded in the direction of a room separated from the rest of the space by ripped cloth, “Go and see Lucy. She might be able to help you.”

Markus followed the directions that North gave, heading behind the vail to find an android woman with striking features sitting alone by a fire. She had large wires and tubes sticking out of her head, “Are you Lucy?” Markus asked as he approached her. 

She opened her eyes at the sound of Markus’ voice, they were completely black. “Sit down,” she replied simply. Markus complied, “show me,” he complied once again, lifting up his shirt to show her the wound he had received from the gunshot wounds. An image of Juno flashed in his mind as Lucy spoke again, “I’ll stop the bleeding.” She made her way over to the fire, pulling out a heat rod before heading back over the Markus. He didn’t flinch as she sealed his wound. She didn’t say anything before setting the rod back in the fire and collecting some thirium to drink. “Drink this,” she stated. Markus took the blue blood from her and drank the rest of the bottle. She looked at him with a calm yet stern expression, “give me your hand,” She said as Markus stood up. She outstretched her hand. Markus contemplated complying this time, but decided it was in his best interest. Their skin left their hands as they connected, “You had it all... A father figure, a daughter, perhaps even an eventual love interest… and then you lost it all... You've seen hell and now hell lives in you... Your heart is troubled... A part of shadow and a part of light... Which will prevail? Your choices will shape our destiny.” Lucy pulled her hands away and Markus took a step back, honestly a loss for words. What did Lucy’s cryptic message mean for him and his future? She saw Marina and Carl… and Juno too. It was weird and Markus didn’t violated or anything. He just felt lost and a little uncomfortable. How could he get back some of what he had lost? Was it even possible?

He shook the questions from his mind as he wandered around the large room. He talked with a few androids, all of which were in dire need of help. He didn’t know how he could help at first, but he knew that something had to be done. There were dead and dying androids everywhere. This would be his and every free androids’ fate if something didn’t change. While he was looking around, he stumbled upon an empty Cyberlife create. This was the moment his brain hatched a plan. He walked over to Simon who was standing silently near a pole towards the middle of the room. He was the only one of the three main androids that he hadn’t talked to yet. “Simon! I know where we can find spare parts. The CyberLife warehouses in Detroit Harbor, they have everything we need,” Markus stated, getting the attention of the other androids in the room.

Simon shook his head. He looked a bit defeated, “The docks are guarded. We can’t just walk in there and take what we want... Humans will never let us…”

Markus smirked slightly as he continued, “Which is why we won't ask permission.”

“We don’t have any weapons... And even if we did, none of us knows how to fight,” Josh chimed in. 

“We can steal what we need without fighting,” Markus assured him.

Josh pensively looked at Markus, “We'll just get ourselves killed.”

Markus held his ground, “Maybe. But it's better than waiting here to be shut down.” 

“I'm with you,” North said with a small smile as she joined the conversation. She was all for messing up humanity’s day in the name of androids. 

Simon shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe it's worth a try.”

Josh let out a sigh, “Okay. I'm in.”

Markus smiled at all of them, this was the start of him getting his life put back together.

~ ~ ~

Juno Kamski

Juno flatted the wrinkles in her shirt as she rang the doorbell. She had only been here last night, but with the day she’s had it felt like a lifetime. After parting ways with Connor and Hank, even though she was exhausted, she knew she needed to stop here. She wasn’t sure how Carl would react to seeing her, but she knew she had to warn him about Leo. She didn’t have time to think about it anymore because the electric door swung open to reveal the elderly artist. “Evening Mr. Manfred,” she said with a kind smile.

“Oh, Detective Kamski. You look exhausted,” He said with a bit of a surprised tone in his voice.

“I am a bit run down, but don’t mind that I’ll be fine. I just needed to fill you in on something, it’s about Leo,” She replied honestly.   
He nodded, “Marina’s in bed for the night upstairs. Why don’t you come in for a chat and something to drink?” 

She nodded softly, “That would be lovely.” Carl moved so she could come inside, the two trailed quietly into the kitchen as the door closed behind her. “What would you like?” She asked, offering to make the drinks.

“You make yourself whatever you want, I’m going to pour myself a scotch on the rocks in the next room. Join me when you are finished,” He said in his usual tone. 

“Okay! See you in a minute!” She replied. After he had left, she looked around the spacious kitchen, deciding to make a cup of hot tea when she laid her eyes on the small tea brewer in the corner. She picked out a bag of peach tea and put water into the machine. It only took it a minute to heat up the water, so she soon was pouring it into a white coffee cup she had found and was putting the tea bag in. She added a little bit of sugar and a tiny bit of oat milk from the fridge before she headed out of the kitchen to find Carl. She found him in the next room over where he said he would be. She recognized it as the library where she had been last night. Her smile faltered a little bit, but she tried not to let the memories phase her. “Are you alright?” Carl asked.

“What do you mean?” She questioned as she sat down at the table across from him.

He gestured towards her neck. She had completely forgotten that she had lost her scarf in the fight with that android. “Oh yeah, I’ll be fine. I got a quick check from a paramedic last night. He said there was no severe damage done.”

“That’s good, but emotionally, are you alright?” He pushed. 

Juno was a little taken back by the question, but she answered it none the less, “I suppose so. It’s been a rough 24 hours but I…” Juno wanted to say she would be fine, that with time the memories would fade and she would be okay again. However, at this moment that just didn’t feel right to say. “I’m sorry for what happened. It shouldn’t have and if I hadn’t stopped-”

“What happened last night was not your fault Juno. I know you wanted to protect him,” Carl answered. 

Juno nodded, taking a sip of her coffee, “I spoke against Leo at work when I was questioned, but someone posted his bail. He seemed way too happy about it. I just wanted to stop by and tell you that you should be extra careful for the next week or two. I don’t want to see anything else happen to you or Marina because he’s out of drug money.” Carl nodded solemnly as he downed half the alcohol in his glass.   
After a few more hours of basic talk, Juno decided to move the conversation along to something she was extremely worried about. “How’s Marina?”

“She’s good for the moment. I haven’t had the heart to tell her yet,” Carl replied, unable to make eye contact with Juno.

Juno harshly set her coffee mug down on the table, “You haven’t told her yet?”

“Told me what?” The bouncy child asked as she came bounding into the room. 

Juno’s eyes lit up, “Hi Marina! How are you?”

“Hiya Juni!” She said with a big smile as she came running over to the young detective. Juno’s heart swelled at the adorable nickname. Juno got down to the girl's height and hugged her tightly. She was such an adorable kid. “Have you seen Marki?” She asked.

Juno felt a twinge of guilt. Carl watched intently. “No, I haven’t seen him.”

Marina’s face fell, “Oh… I thought since he liked you so much he might have gone to visit you. Grandpa said he went to get repairs though. That he was big and brave last night because he protected you from my mean old dad… but he got hurt… so he went to the android hospital to feel better… I hope he comes back soon…”

Juno’s heart broke. She couldn’t tell Marina the truth and she now totally saw where Carl was coming from. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that he was probably in a dump somewhere, that he wouldn’t be coming back. She tried not to cry, “I’m sure where ever he is right now all he’s thinking about is getting to come home to you Marina.”

“Yeah! But it seems like you might need to see a doc-”

Marina was cut off by the sound of the doorbell, “I’ll get it,” Juno said with a soft smile as she pulled back from the small girl and stood up. She looked out the window noticing it had gotten dark outside. She had been here a lot longer than she thought she had, not that she particularly minded. She made it to the door, surprised at who she saw outside. She opened the door as Carl and Marina came into the foyer. “Connor? What are you doing here?” She asked.

“Pardon the interruption Juno, but unfortunately there has been another android case that we must go investigate. I was on my way to get Hank when I noticed the GPS position of your phone was nowhere near your apartment. I figured it would be better to get you first and then the Lieutenant,” He explained.

She rolled her eyes, “Spying on me? That’s low,” She teased. She knew there was a tracker in her phone that Connor could access because of her line of work. 

Connor’s LED blinked yellow before he responded, “Maybe this will help you not take it the wrong way?” He asked more than he stated. He pulled out her scarf from earlier that had been lost to the wind. 

She grabbed it from him abruptly, “My scarf! How did you find it? It was carried away by the wind!”

Connor smiled a little at her giddiness, “After work, I went back up to the rooftop and analyzed which way the wind would have carried it with earlier today’s wind patterns. It only took a few minutes to find where it had snagged after I started looking.”

She smiled brightly and gave him a quick hug, “Thank you so much, Connor! I don’t know what I would do without you!”

^ Software Instability ^

She pulled away before he could even really process what was going on, but he still got that damn notification. He ignored it as Carl spoke up, “So you have to head out I’m assuming?” He asked.

“Unfortunately so, but thank you for the tea it was great. I’d love to come by and chat again another time if you’ll have me,” Juno answered.

“Stop by whenever you like,” Carl replied.

“Nooo! Please don’t go! Without Marki, there’s no one to tuck me in again! Grandpa already did it once and he’s not very good,” Marina pleaded as she latched herself around Juno’s leg. Juno’s heart ached.

“I wish I could stay, but I can’t. I have to help save the city, but I promise I’ll come back and visit soon okay?” She said as she patted the girl’s head.

Marina let go and backed a few steps, “Okay… Good luck!”

“Shall we be going, Detective?” Connor asked.

“We shall!” She said as Connor and her walked back onto the front steps. Connor noticed immediately that a chill ran through her at the touch of the cold night air. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the automated car that he had been using. “My body can admit heat to help stabilize your temperature,” He explained as she gave him a questioning look. She smiled and nodded, snuggling into his side as they made it to the car. He smiled down at her as the automatic door opened. Neither Connor or Juno noticed the four pairs of eyes watching them from slightly hidden spots down the road… they were too engrossed in each other’s company.


	9. Jealous Markus, Salty Amanda, and Drunk Hank

Markus- RK200

Markus watched from a distance as Juno cuddled up closer to Android. He felt a weird rock sitting in the pit of his stomach. Why was she so close to him? “My body can admit heat to help stabilize your temperature,” he heard the other android explain. To Markus’ dismay, she snuggled even closer to him. Why did the rock feel like it was sinking further into his gut? Who was this android?

“Is that android street cuddling a human woman?” North asked. Markus could hear the disgust in her voice.

Markus had only explained the part of his life that involved Marina, not the part about Juno. “Don’t use that tone when talking about her North. She’s a detective and extremely pro android.”

North rolled her eyes, “Yeah it sure seems like it, she’s all over him.”

Markus shot her a nasty look. He wanted to pretend that that wasn’t happening. “What are you not telling us here Markus?” Josh asked, his eyes full of concern. 

Markus let out a sigh, “Let’s just focus getting Marina,” he replied as the Android and Juno got into a small automatic car. “You all stay here, I’ll go inside and get her myself. I’m already going to throw Carl off because he thinks I’m dead. He would probably be even more startled by the sight of four androids rather than just the one he already knows.”

“Okay, we’ll wait for you Markus,” Simon replied as the car finally drove off. 

“Alright. I’ll be back in a few minutes, stay hidden,” Markus answered as he moved away from the shadows. His face was lit by the street lights as he approached the house. He took a deep breath as he reached the front porch step. He had done this so many times before, but he knew that this time was very different than all of those. He didn’t even have time to ring the doorbell before the door was flung open, normally the door would open automatically for him, but this time Carl had manually opened it. He was surprised that the old man had that much strength in him. “Carl.”  
The old artist looked at Markus with a skeptical look. How could this possibly be him? He saw him die, “How are you…” Carl didn’t even know how to finish that sentence he was so overwhelmed with shock.

“It’s a miracle,” Markus replied honestly, “May I come in?”

Carl nodded, not having the words to say. Markus came inside and the door shut behind him automatically. “Don’t get me wrong Markus, I am happy that you’re alive, but what are you doing here? You must know how dangerous is for you to be seen around this area.”

Markus started to speak, “I wanted to make sure you were alright and I need to ask you something very important.”

“Thanks for the concern, I am alright. What do you need to ask me?”

Markus took another deep breath, “You told me yesterday that I would soon have to make my own choices. Decide who I am, who I want to become and what I’ll be to Marina in the future. I know you’re not gone yet, but things have changed dramatically since that conversation yesterday. I know what I want to do and I know who I want to be to Marina. Since I woke up I’ve thought about her constantly and I know she’s a handful for you to take care of. I have found a refuge, a safe place for androids like myself who are learning how to freely think. I’d like to take Marina there with your permission. I will keep her safe and I will continue to homeschool her. I’ll bring her back to visit and I’ll make sure that she eats healthy. I’ll teach her all about the world and keep her kind… Please, Carl.”

Carl thought for a moment. He knew Markus was much more equipped to take care of the young child than he was, “Do you promise that you’ll put her well being before anything else?”   
“Of course,” Markus responded without thought. 

“Then I don’t see why not, as long as you visit when it is safe too,” The old man answered with a small smile.

“MARKI!” Carl and Markus looked up the stairs towards the direction of the scream. At the top of the stairs stood Marina with the biggest smile on her face that Markus had ever seen.

He mirrored her smile as she came bounding down the stairs and leaped into his arms. He held her tightly to him, her small legs wrapping around his torso and her arms around his neck. “I missed you so much, Mars.”

“I missed you too Marki! I’m glad you’re back from the android hospital!”

Markus chuckled lightly, “Go grab your things; all your favorite toys, clothes, and blankets. We are going to be staying somewhere else for a little while, but don’t worry too much. If you forget something we are going to come back and visit grandpa as soon as we can and we can pick it up.”

Her eyes shone brightly as Markus set her back down on the ground. She didn’t question him at all, “Okay Marki!” She beamed as she ran back upstairs.

“Make sure you check what she has before you leave,” Carl said.

“I will make sure she has everything she needs to be comfortable,” Markus answered. 

“And Markus… When you have a few minutes, you should stop by and let Juno know you’re alright. She feels extremely guilty about what happened.”

Markus looked at Carl in confusion, “I have no problem with stopping by to see Juno, but why does she feel guilty? None of what happened was her fault.”

Carl sighed, “She’s extremely empathetic and she seems to care deeply about you and the rest of our little family. Just go let her know so she doesn’t stress out about it any more than she already has, okay Markus? She lives in that new apartment building downtown. Diamond Flats. She told me she lives on the 18th floor, I’m sure you can figure it out from there.”

“I can manage, thank you, Carl,” Markus said with a nod as he went upstairs to help Marina. He would get her settled in with Josh, North, and Simon before heading out to see Juno. That should give her enough time to be home. His cheeks blushed blue at the thought of seeing her again, but then the image of that other android flashed in his mind. Who was that guy?

~ ~ ~

Connor- RK800

Connor woke up inside his mind again, ready to make another report to Amanda. In his last one, he had been pretty vague with her when she asked about his relationships with Juno and Hank, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid nearly as much now because he chose to save her over catching that last deviant. In sum, he knew he was in for it. 

He found her on the opposite side of the courtyard from his spawning location, “Hello Amanda.”

“Connor, I've been expecting you... Would you mind a little walk?” Amanda responded. Connor opened the umbrella he had been holding to shield them both from the rain that had been falling since he arrived. The two of them began to walk, “That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case. A pity you didn't manage to capture it…”

Connor thought for a moment before deciding what to say, “Deviants are completely irrational, which makes it difficult to anticipate their behavior... but I should have been more effective.”

Amanda took the same pause that Connor did, “That makes me worried for you Connor. Choosing to save Detective Kamski over chasing down that deviant. What were you thinking?”

Connor’s LED flashed yellow. He hadn’t really thought about it as him choosing to save her. He had just thought of it as helping a person in need. What would Hank and the station have done to him if he hadn’t saved her and she didn’t save herself? “The Detective is a needed member of the Detroit Police Department. I merely helped her so that there would be no repercussions from Lieutenant Anderson or Captain Fowler.”

Amanda sighed, “Keep your mission in the front of your mind next time Connor. I’m sure the Detective appreciates your help, but she is not your primary concern.”

“So you wanted me to just let her dangle there and hope she could pull herself up? Her survival rate was only 56%,” Connor tossed back.

Amanda looked at him appalled, “Enough Connor. 56% is more than half, you should have let the detective handle it herself and I expect you will next time,” She snapped, “Anyway, did you manage to learn anything?” 

“I found its diary, but it was encrypted. It may take weeks to decipher,” Connor replied, saddened by Amanda’s lack of compassion. 

“What else?”

Connor continued, “The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols. Like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9.”

“You came very close to capturing that deviant…”

“It was fascinated by birds. We've seen deviants interested in other lifeforms like insects or pets, but nothing like this.”

Amanda stopped walking and looked Connor dead in the eye, “We don't have much time. Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes.”

“I will solve this investigation, Amanda. I won't disappoint you,” Connor said with a determined tone in his voice. 

Amanda nodded, “As you know a new case just came in. You already have Detective Kamski, find Anderson and investigate it.”

~ ~ ~

Juno Kamski & Connor- RK800

Juno had stayed silently cuddled up next to Connor the entire way to Hank’s. Connor had gone inside his head to make a report to Cyberlife. She was enjoying the warmth and the closeness of this situation as long as she could. She reluctantly pulled away when they reached the street just outside of Hank’s house. “And why exactly do we need to drag this old drunk along?” Juno asked as the two got out of the car and headed for the front door. 

“We have had the lieutenant accompany us everywhere else involving cases, why would he not come with us now?” Connor inquired as they reached the door.

Juno sighed, “Something to do with I’m like 95% sure he’s wasted.”

“We’ll find out if you’re correct Juno,” Connor knocked firmly on the door, “Lieutenant Anderson?” There was no answer, the two looked at each other before Juno knocked on the door louder than Connor did.

“Answer the door, you drunk old man!” Still no answer.

Connor rings the doorbell, “Anybody home?”

No answer.

Connor walks off the porch, Juno quickly follows after him so that can try to get a look inside the window. When they can’t get a real good look, Connor goes around one side of the house, while Juno goes back to the front door. She remembered that Hank hid a key somewhere, it was just a matter of her remembering where. She smiled brightly as it came to her, under the flower pot with nothing in it! Of course! She lifted the small pot gently off the ground, excited when she saw the slightly rusted house key underneath of it. She stood back up and took the two steps back towards the door when she heard a loud glass shattering sound. Her heart rate picked up, “Connor?!” She shouted through the door as she finally got the key to work. 

He was laying on the ground, Sumo growling as he stood over the android, “Easy! Sumo... I'm your friend, see? I know your name... I'm here to save your owner…”

Juno giggled at the sight, “It’s okay Sumo! Come here, boy!” She said in her high pitched dog-talk voice. The large pup came bounding over, “Who’s a good boy? It’s you Sumo it's you!” She said as she pets the massive dog’s fur. 

Connor found it adorable, but it was obvious Juno hadn’t noticed Hank’s state yet, “Juno, we need to help Hank.” Juno’s attention snapped as soon as she heard Connor’s voice. Her face turned a bit red at the thought of him seeing that. 

“Right,” She said as she brushed the dog fur off of her front. Juno made her way over to the kitchen, a loud gasp involuntarily making its way out of her throat when she saw the scene. The mess on the table, the broken glass from the window, and Hank on the floor unconscious with a gun next to his hand and a spilled bottle of scotch whiskey on the ground near him, “Oh god. Hank!” She called out, dropping to her knees beside him. He had been drunk many times over the years that Juno has known him, but he had only passed out thanks his addiction a few times. She moved the gun away from his hand, feeling the temperature of his palm. “He’s cold as ice Connor,” she said in an extremely frightened tone.

Connor gave her a reassuring smile as he bent down to better inspect the Lieutenant. He was on the opposite side of him from Juno. “I’m sure it’ll be alright, just focus on helping him how we can,” Connor replied before analyzing him quietly. There were traces of alcohol on his lips and he had slight arrhythmia, but his heart was beating. That’s what matters. “Lieutenant?” Connor called. Juno was confused that this was his only action, but watched carefully. She trusted his judgment. Connor gently smacked the side of Hank’s face. Hank made some annoyed sounds, Juno let a breath go that she didn’t know she was holding in. “Wake up, Lieutenant!” Hank moved a little bit more, but still didn’t fully wake. Juno looked at Connor, wondering if he was going to do what she thought he might. “It’s me, Connor!” the android shouted as he slapped Hank much harder. It took everything Juno had not to laugh at the old man’s shocked face. Connor moved to lift Hank up, Juno moved to help even though she knew Connor could probably get him on his own. “We’re going to sober you up for your own safety.”

“Hey!” Hank slurred as Connor and Juno sat him upright, “... Leave me alone, you fuckin' android! And you too Kamski!”

“Not a chance Hank,” Juno said with a sigh.

“I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant,” Connor replied as the three of them stood up completely. 

“Get the fuck outta my house! Both a’ya!” Hank said with his speech extremely slurred yet again. This wasn’t the first time that she had to help him sober up for a late night work call and it probably wouldn’t be the last… though she was really glad Connor was around to help now. It was definitely going to be easier with him here. 

“Again, not a chance Hank,” Juno answered, “We gotta get you sobered up, we’ve got a case to solve and we can’t do that without our favorite hardass Lieutenant.”

“I'm sorry Lieutenant, but she’s right, we need you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation,” Connor said in a fairly formal tone. 

“Hey! Get the fuck outta here!” Hank yelled again as Juno and Connor started to move him towards the bathroom. The readjusted him to get a better grip, he let out an odd groaning sound. He almost sounded like a bear that had been woken up from hibernation. Juno rolled her eyes at the thought as Hank yelled at Sumo to attack them. The dog barked and Hank told him he was a good dog. Juno giggled a bit, Hank was really out of it this time. Juno shifted Hank’s weight completely to Connor so she could move to open the door. “Fuck, I think I'm gonna be sick…” Hank says as Connor holds him up.

“At least wait until we get you in the bathroom, I don’t want to clean up after you… again,” Juno said with a slightly teasing tone, though Connor could tell she was really worried about Hank’s choices when it came to drinking.

“Shuttup. You can’t tell me what to do, you’re not my mother,” Hank spat back as Juno took back half his weight.

“And yet here I am.” Connor eyed Juno before they both moved to get Hank into the bathroom.

“Ah! Leave me alone, you asshole! I'm not going anywhere…” Hank stated as if he had any say in what was going on. “What the hell are you doing?” He asked as the pair set him on the edge of the bathtub. He leaned back so he was against the bath’s wall.

“I don't wanna bath, thank you…” Hank said as he attempted to stand back up again. Juno stopped him by setting her hands on his shoulders and gently pushing him back down. 

“Not so fast Hank, still need to sober you up.”

Connor nodded, “Sorry, Lieutenant. It's for your own good.” Juno took a step back from the tub as Connor turned on the shower head with cold water. 

Hank was not a fan of this, “TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!” He shouted. Connor complied. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Hank said in a much more sober tone. 

“As Juno said we have a case. A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago. I couldn't find you at Jimmy's bar. Juno thought you might be here, so came to see if you were at home,” Connor explained. 

Hank rolled his eyes as he moves to stand up slowly, “Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fuckin' android and his work partner... Can't you just leave me alone and handle this yourselves?”

“Unfortunately, we cannot. I've been programmed to investigate this case and I can't do it without you, both of you.”

“I don't give a shit about your goddamn case!”

“Hank that’s not a rational argument for you to get to stay home. If I have to be awake and work so do you,” Juno teased a bit. 

Connor took a more serious approach, “Lieutenant, you're not yourself. You should-”

“Beat it both of you! You hear me?! Get the hell outta here!” Hank shouted suddenly, cutting Connor off. Juno flinched a bit at the sudden loudness, Connor caught this, setting his hand gently in hers in comfort. A lightly blushed formed on her cheeks, but that did go unnoticed.

“I understand. It probably wasn't interesting anyway... A man found dead in a sex club downtown... Guess they'll have to solve the case without us…” Connor said in a very teasing manner, causing Juno to hold back another giggle. Connor smiled at her before looking back to Hank. 

“You know, probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some air... There're some clothes in the bedroom there,” Hank answered. Juno rolled her eyes, of course, that’s what got him interested. 

“We’ll go get them. What do you want to wear?”

“Whatever.”

“Are you okay Hank?” Juno asked.

“Yeah kid...yeah...wonderful... Just a... Give me five minutes, okay?”

“Alright,” Juno said, eyeing him carefully. She was really worried about him, he was tearing up his body with all this alcohol. 

Connor gently pulled on her hand that he was still holding, breaking her gaze at Hank. She looked up at him confused as he walked them both to Hank’s bedroom. “Are you alright Juno?”

“Oh yeah, I’m alright. Don’t worry about me, Connor,” She replied with a forced smile. She was definitely lying. 

Connor’s LED flashed yellow, “I can tell something is bothering you, what’s going on?”

There were, of course, multiple things that were weighing heavily on her mind. Markus’ death, Marina, Connor refusing to tell his conclusion on her, why he chose to save her over catching the deviant, Hank’s alcoholism, and Leo’s yelling voice popping into her mind when Hank’s volume reached a certain level. She decided to focus her confession on that. “I flinched when Hank yelled suddenly. It startled me even though it usually wouldn’t. Honestly, as fine as I’m trying to seem, I’m still really off from Leo’s attack. It was only last night and I… I guess I’ve never felt like I was going to die before. Then he got released this morning on bail… that monster is out there I just… I…” Juno couldn’t finish her sentence. She had been trying to be as strong as possible with all of this, but it was a lot for her mind to hold. 

Connor pulled her into a hug, one hand wrapped tightly around her lower back and the other attached to the back of her head, calmly stroking her hair. Her arms wrapped tightly around his middle. “It’s okay Juno… I’ve got you. I promise I will do everything I can to keep you safe from Leo.”

^ Software Instability ^

^ Software Instability ^

Connor once again ignored the notifications when they popped up, he didn’t care. All that mattered was the human in his arms. She was shaking, she was really scared and her stress level was off the charts, though it was lowering by the second. “Thank you, Connor. I know that’s not your mission, but-”

“That doesn’t matter. Keeping you and Hank safe during cases and keeping you safe from Leo has become part of my mission.” Her grip on him tightened, he didn’t mind the wrinkles in his jacket caused by this though. He just wanted her to feel safe and stable. 

“I-”

“HEY! Stop flirting in MY bedroom and bring me something to get dressed in! You can all cutesy when this case is over!” Hank yelled from the bathroom. The two jumped apart. Connor needed to figure out what was going on with his system, but every time the malfunction happened something overwhelmed not to care. What the hell was happening to him?


	10. An Uninvited Guest

Juno Kamski & Connor- RK800

Hank, Connor, and Juno soon arrived at the Eden club to visit the newest crime scene. Juno honestly felt bad for the androids in these situations. They had no control or say in the situations that they were put in. “Aw... Feels like somebody's playing with a drill inside my skull... You sure this is the place?” Hank asked as he looked towards the building.

“It's the address in the report,” Connor replied shortly.

“Are you sure that you can do this Hank?” Juno questioned, worried for Hank’s health.

“Yeah, I’m sure Kid. Let's get going,” Hank said as he started to get out of the car. Juno and Connor followed suit. The three started walking through the main entrance hallway, Hank taking notice of the message displayed on the giant floor to ceiling screens, “Jesus... Sexiest androids in town... Now I know why you insisted on coming here! Oh, boy…” Juno rolled her eyes at the comment as they walked inside the club.

“You're not gonna take my license, are you? I mean, ha, I had nothing to do with this!” The manager said to an officer named Ben as the trio walked up. 

Ben sighed, “The investigation's ongoing, sir, I can't tell you anything for the moment. Hey, Hank! Hi, Juno!” He said as he noticed the group’s presence.

“Hiya Ben!” Juno replied with a cheerful smile.

“Hey, Ben. How's it goin'?” Hank asked.

Ben gestured to a room to the right of the group, “It's that room there. Oh, uh, by the way... Gavin's in there too.”

Juno rubbed her temples with her forefingers, “Today just can’t get any worse, can it?”

“Oh, great! A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed…”

Juno, Hank, and Connor made their way into the room of the crime scene, the sound of the door opening alerted Gavin to their presence. He smirked as he saw who it was. “Lieutenant Anderson, Detective Kamski, and her plastic boyfriend... The fuck are you three doin' here?”

Juno tensed up, “Why you slimy little-”

Connor stuck his arm out to stop her from getting any closer to Gavin. He wanted to keep this encounter as short as possible. “We've been assigned all cases involving androids.”

Gavin smirked again at Juno’s actions, if he couldn’t have her, he just wanted to piss her off, “Oh, yeah? Well, you're wasting your time. Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle,” he said with a laugh. Juno rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the joke.

Hank gave him a look, “We'll have a look anyway, if you don't mind.” 

Gavin scoffed at Hank, “Come on, let's go... It's uh... starting to stink of booze in here…” he said as he shoulder checked Connor. 

“Next time you do that I’ll cut off your arm,” Juno spat in Gavin’s general direction. She was in no mood for his antics. 

“I’d like to see you try sweetheart,” Gavin teased as he left. 

Chris sighed, “Night, Lieutenant. Night, Detective.”

After they left Hank turned to Juno, “Fiesty this time of night are we?”

“It has been the longest 24 hours of my life Hank. I don’t need Gavin’s shit right now,” Juno replied.

“Fair enough. Let’s finish this investigation as quickly as possible so you can go home and get some shut eye,” Hank answered. Juno gave him a small nod before focusing her attention on the scene of the crime. 

Connor walked over to the android on the floor while Hank and Juno went to look at the man on the bed. Juno was so absorbed in thinking about what could have happened in this room that she didn’t realize what Connor was doing until Hank yelled, “Whoa! Hey! Hey! Hey! Argh, Connor, you're so disgusting... Think I'm gonna puke again…”

Juno giggled at Hank’s reaction before making her own sour face. She wasn’t the biggest fan of Connor’s analyzing tactics either, but at least she could put up with them so they could get the information. “Please don’t Hank, this is a crime scene.”

“You’re telling me you’re not even a little bit grossed out by that?” Hank shot back in utter disgust.

“Yeah I am, but I also realize that Connor is just doing his job and the information that he can gather from that test is extremely useful to us. It’s much quicker than having to get a sample to a lab for testing,” Juno explained.

“You’re both weird,” Hank said as he rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the body. 

“Yeah, you’re one to call us weird Mr. Knights of the Black Death,” Juno teased.

“You like that band too you twit!”

“Yeah, but not as much as you do old man,” Juno shot back, trying to conceal her giggle. Connor could see it in her stance though, she was trying hard to suppress it. He was surprised at how well she could handle Hank in his current state, he was honestly surprised that she could handle him at all with everything going on inside her head right now. She is a lot stronger than people seem to give her credit for. “What do you see Connor?”

“What?” He asked, actually caught off guard by her question. He had been thinking about her so long that he had forgotten about the case at hand, “Oh, He didn't die of a heart attack, he was strangled.”

“Yeah, I saw the bruising on the neck. Doesn't prove anything though. Could've been rough play…” Hank answered.

“We're missing something here…” Connor said looking towards the android. 

“What can we do to find out more? We can’t ask a dead guy,” Juno sighed and looked at the guy on the bed. Then she looked toward Connor who was peering at the girl curiously, he had an idea.

Hank saw the same glint in Connor’s eyes, “Think you can read the android's memory? Maybe you can see what happened…”

Connor bent down next to the android, “I can try…” The skin cover removed from his hand as he tried to connect to the other android. Juno was amazed by the way it looked, but his hand was soon covered again. He looked towards the two of them, “The only way to access its memory is to reactivate it.” 

Hank crossed his arms, “Think you can do it?”

“It's badly damaged... If I can, it'll only be for a minute, maybe less... I just hope it's long enough to learn something.” Connor opened up the plate covering her stomach area and reconnected a pipe. The android burst to life, terrified. Juno felt bad for her as she backed herself up against the wall to get away from Connor, “You were damaged and I reactivated you. Everything is all right.”

“Is he...is he dead?..” She asked, completely out of breath.

“Tell me what happened,” Connor stated. 

The girl nodded slightly, “He started...hitting me...again...and again. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't.” Juno’s heart went out to her as she talked, the young detective could tell that it wasn’t her that killed him.

“Who killed that man if it wasn't you?”

“I... I don't know, I was in shutdown, I... I didn't see anything…”

“Were you alone in the room? Was there anyone else with you?” Connor asked. He knew they were running out of time to get information from her.

She shook her head, “He wanted to play with two girls... That's what he said, there were two of us…”

“What model was the other android? Did it look like you?” Connor questioned, but it was too late. The girl’s eyes had gone blank again. She shut down.

“So, there was another android... This happened over an hour ago, it's probably long gone…” Hank said with a sigh.

Connor shook his head, “No... It couldn't go outside dressed like that unnoticed... It might still be here.” 

“Think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?” Hank asked.

“Deviants aren't easily detected,” Connor replied.

“Yeah, they don’t want to be found or noticed, they know that if they get caught it’s over for them,” Juno continued.

Hank racked his brain, “Ah, shit... There's gotta be some other way... Maybe an eyewitness? Somebody who saw it leaving the room... I'm gonna go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw. You let me know if you think of anything.”

Hank left the room and Juno turned to Connor, “You think some of the androids here saw her leaving the room?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Connor answered with a soft smile, “How can we question them if they are locked in place?”

“Hank’s not going to be a fan of the charges, but we could rent them, you could connect to them, and find out what they know?” Juno suggested. 

“Sounds like a good idea to me. Not that we have many choices right now,” Connor replied.

Connor and Juno made their way out of the room and walked across the main floor to the android across the way from the room’s entrance. Connor tried to put his hand on the scanner first, but it denied him access. “No fingerprint detected, please try again.”

“Looks like these are going in my expense account,” Juno said before placing her hand on the sensor. 

“Hello. A 30-minute session costs $29.99. Please confirm your purchase,” the machine rang out. Juno pressed a button on the machine and it began to speak again, “Purchase confirmed. Eden Club wishes you a pleasant experience.”

“What the fuck are you two doing?” Hank asked as he walked over.

“Talking to witnesses,” Juno explained shortly.

“What?” Hank asked.

“Delighted to meet you. Follow me, I'll take you to your room,” The Traci said with a small smile in Juno’s direction, she blushed deeply.

“Do the thing, Connor,” Juno said with a slight squeak to her voice.

Connor reached out his arm and connected to the Traci, “Holy shit, Connor... What the hell are you doin'?”

“It saw something,” Connor said as he let go of the Traci’s arm.

“What are you talkin' about? Saw, what?”

“The deviant leave the room... A blue-haired Traci. Club policy is to wipe the androids' memory every two hours. We only have a few minutes if we wanna find another witness!”

“You’re buying the next one Hank.”

“We’ll take turns.”

“I don’t think that makes this any less weird.”

“Whatever, let’s just find the Android and get out of here,” Hank replied, cutting the conversation short. Juno nodded to him and the trio moved throughout the rooms until they figured out that the Traci had gone into the back staff door. 

“I know where it went! Follow me!” Connor said, alerting Hank and Juno. The three made their way down the staff only hall.

“Fucking-A. This is crazy…”

“Yeah tell me about it,” Juno said as they made it to the door at the end of the hallway. 

“Wait! I'll take it from here,” Hank said as he got in front of Connor and Juno. Juno would normally argue this, but she was just so run down she knew it would be better if Hank was in the front. He pulled open the door after pulling out his gun. Juno pulled hers out as well, following Hank a few steps into the room, “Shit... We're too late…”

“Yeah,” Juno said as she lowered her gun. She looked around the room at all the broken and damaged androids. She felt bad for them, they were used and battered, then tossed to the side.

“Are you alright Juno?” Connor asked, a little concerned because of how distanced she seemed.

“Oh yeah I’m fine, just overwhelmed and tired. I also feel for them, they get used and then thrown away. They don’t deserve to be treated like that,” Juno replied.

Hank decided to butt into the conversation, “Yeah I mean, Christ, look at them... They get used till they break, then they get tossed out…”

“It’s not really fair to them. They didn’t ask for this,” Juno said with a sigh as Connor watched her intently. 

Hank got back to looking as he decided to put in his two cents, “People are fucking insane... They don't want relationships anymore, everybody just gets an android... They cook what you want, they screw when you want, you don't have to worry about how they feel... Next thing you know, we're gonna be extinct, because everybody would rather buy a piece of plastic than love another human being... Beats me…”

Connor pulled his eyes away from Juno and began looking for clues again. He noticed a large amount of blue blood and began to follow the trail to the back corner of the warehouse. He noticed the blue-haired Traci in the very back corner, but before he could do anything about it, another Traci launched herself at him. Juno heard the noise and her head whipped around, “CONNOR!” She shouted, getting Hank’s attention. 

The two of them ran over to help Connor, Hank pulled out his gun, “DON’T MOVE!” He yelled, but the blue-haired Traci jumped at him, trying to keep him in a chokehold. 

Juno pulled out her gun, she didn’t want to hurt either of the androids, but if they hurt Hank or Connor she would defend them. She aimed the gun at the blue-haired Traci, “I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t let the old man go I will.” Her voice and hands were shakey. The Traci could tell she really didn’t want to hurt her, but that didn’t matter to the other Traci who had been fighting Connor. She shoved him hard into one of the shelves and ran to her girlfriend’s defense. She grabbed Juno roughly, pulling her off balance. The gun clattered to the floor as the two girls fought back and forth. Juno’s whole body was on fire. The injuries on her neck caused by Leo burned and her muscles screamed as she fought against the Traci. Her fighting with the Traci continued until she pushed Juno to the floor. The Traci sat on top of Juno, quickly picking up a screwdriver to stab her with. She struggled to get out from under her, but it was no use, she was too weak after the day she had. “CONNOR!” She screamed as the Traci raised her arms with the screwdriver in her hands. Connor turned around abruptly, ignoring the fight that had been going between him, Hank, and the blue-haired Traci. 

“DON’T YOU DARE HURT HER!” He groaned as he ran over to her. He used his entire body weight to knock the Traci off of Juno, taking her fight as his. Juno scooted to the side to catch her breath for a second, but almost as soon as she did she watched Connor get stabbed by the screwdriver he saved her from. She gasped, but he was soon up again. The two Tracis were making a run for the fence.

“QUICK THEY’RE GETTING AWAY!” Hank yelled. Connor bounded after them and Juno raced to her feet. She made it outside just as Connor pulled them off the fence. He was fighting both of them at once. Juno’s anxiety was rising, she didn’t know what she could do to help. Connor grabbed the gun that had been discarded on the ground and pointed it at one of the Tracis. Juno watched intently as Connor put the gun down, he didn’t have the cold stone heart to shoot her. 

^ Software Instability ^

The Traci kicked Connor in the face, knocking him onto the ground. Juno rushed to his side, “Connor are you okay?” 

Connor looked up at her, scanning her to see if she had any more injuries than what she had come with. She seemed okay aside from an extremely erratic heartbeat. She helped him up. After he was standing, he put his hand on her cheek, “I’m fine, are you alright?”

“Yeah I’m okay,” Juno said softly. Connor quickly moved her behind him as one of the Tracis walked toward him. She stopped a few feet away, but Connor was not about to let anything else happen to Juno.

“When that man broke the other Traci... I knew I was next... I was so scared... I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't... And so I put my hands around his throat, and I squeezed...until he stopped moving... I didn't mean to kill him... I just wanted to stay alive… get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again... make me forget about the humans… their smell of sweat and their dirty words…” She explained. She looked closely at Connor’s stance as she took the other android’s hand. Connor was still mostly in front of Juno, but both of Juno’s hands were clasped tightly around his left. “It seems you at least understand wanting to be with the one you love. Thank you.” She turned her attention to her partner, “Come on.”

“It's probably better this way..” Hank said with a soft smile, “Now come on lover boy, why don’t you make sure Juno gets home safe before you head back to Cyberlife for the night.”

Connor jumped a bit at the nickname, but Juno didn’t let go of his hand, “I… Alright.”

Juno stayed close to Connor’s side, but let go of his hand when they reentered the club’s main area. His hand hated the lack of warmth, he wanted to reach over and hold her hand again, but he realized she dropped it to not raise the suspicion of the humans they had to pass. Hank made it to his car while Juno and Connor hopped into a driverless taxi, as soon as the door shut behind them Juno took his hand again. Connor’s cheeks blushed a light blue color while Juno’s turned a bright shade of pink. Connor found it adorable. 

“Thank you for saving me back there, I’m sorry you got hurt,” She said sadly.

“It wasn’t your fault Juno, besides, Cyberlife will have me fixed before morning so don’t worry about it too much. None of my components were severely damaged. They more just need to fix the external wound,” He explained. She nodded softly before resting her head on his shoulder, a small yawn coming from her. “Tired Detective?”

She chuckled, “You could say that.”

“If you want to nap or rest your eyes for the ride there, I can let you know when we arrive,” Connor suggested. 

“Thanks, Connor. What would I do without you?” She asked as she snuggled more into his side. 

^ Software Instability ^

Connor watched her for a moment, yet again ignoring the notification. Her features looked truly relaxed for the first time since they had met. He took in a deep breath before concentrating his thoughts on the city passing outside of his window.

After about twenty minutes, the pair arrived at Juno’s apartment building. Connor almost didn’t have the heart to wake her, as she had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had offered to wake her up. “Juno, we’ve made it to your building.”

“Huh? Oh yeah. Thank you, Connor,” She said with a soft smile as they both got out, “I can take it from here. All I have to do is walk upstairs.”

“Are you sure Juno? It’s not a problem for me to go up with you,” He replied.

“No worries Connor, I’ll be okay. I hope to see you tomorrow all patched up,” Juno said as she squeezed his hand, “Good night.”

“Night,” He said a bit dumbfounded as she walked away. He hopped back into the cab and headed for Cyberlife while she climbed the stairs to her apartment. 

She was so excited to get her work clothes off, take a hot shower, and curl up in bed for the night. She fumbled for her keys out of her pocket as she walked down the final hallway. When she made it to the door, she made quick work of the lock and smiled at her oversized puppy as he came bounding up to her, “Hiya Charlie! Did you have a good day?” She asked. The dog barked happily once as she shut the door, locked it, and moved further into the apartment. 

She went into her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed to take her shoes off before leaving Charlie in there, closing the door behind her. She knew he would be too excited if he saw her preparing food this late, so she thought it was best. She was pulling out the bread, peanut butter, and jelly when she heard the lock to her front door pop open. She whipped around, hoping it was just Bree, who had a spare key, coming to check on her, but the person she saw made her heart drop to her stomach, “Leo?"


	11. Guardian Angels

Markus- RK200 & Juno Kamski

It was just past 1 am when Markus arrived at Juno’s apartment building. He figured that she would have just gotten back after whatever case she was going to work on with that other android. His blue blood boiled again at the thought of whoever that other android was, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. He had Marina staying with him now and he was about to tell Juno that he was alright. This was an exciting moment. He walked up to the door and put his hand up to the scanner. It granted him access, probably just lets androids in because they run errands for their owners a lot. He ignored the thought that came to mind and started to walk up to the elevator. There was a petite girl standing there, she already had pushed the button. He smiled down at her. She smiled back, “I’ve never seen you around here before, what’s your name Mr. Long Legs?”

Markus chuckled at the nickname, “I’m Markus. I’m just stopping by to visit a friend.”

“It’s kind of late for that don’t you think?” She asked.

He shrugged, “It most people I suppose it is, but she’s had a rough time recently and I wanted to check in on her.”

She nodded as the elevator door opened and they both got inside, “What floor Markus?”

“18th please,” He said as he shot her a small smile. She pressed the button, but gave him a look as she did so, “Is there something wrong…” He paused after posing the question to give her time to tell him her name.

“Bree,” She said shortly, “Are you by chance here to see Juno?”

He gave her a confused look in return, “Yes actually, do you know her?”

“Yeah, she’s my best friend! That girl has got to stop keeping things from me, I mean, how could she not tell me she had a boyfriend?! Especially one as polite and gorgeous as you?!” Bree huffed.

Markus chuckled, if he could blush, he would have, “You have the wrong idea, I’m just a friend. In fact, if you wouldn’t mind, could you point me to her exact apartment. That detail got left out of the conversion.”

“Oh, of course!” Bree said with a smile as they both stepped off the elevator. “It’s-” She froze as she looked in the direction of the apartment. There were a few crashing sounds and muffled cries coming from the cracked door. 

“Stay out here and call the cops,” Markus said before he took off toward the door. He peeked through the crack to see Juno pinned to the wall by Leo. He had to do something. He opened the door slowly, being as quiet as possible. As he made it fully into the kitchen, Juno peeled her eyes open for a second. Markus caught her eye, he put a finger to his lips. He needed her to stay quiet for just a minute, just enough time for him to surprise attack Leo. She looked desperate. His heart ached as he tore his eyes away from her. He focused his attention on Leo. He pulled him off of her by the collar of his jacket. 

“What the fuck?!” Leo shouted as he tumbled to the ground. Then he saw Markus’ face, “What the hell? Those cops shot you! How are you moving? You shut down!” 

“I’m protecting an innocent person from your misplaced aggression. Juno has done nothing to you, Leo. She doesn’t deserve to die by your hand or by anyone’s for that matter. She is a kind-hearted saint among the darkness in this city. I won’t let you touch her again,” Markus spat. Juno’s heart fluttered at his words and her mind raced at the thought of him being alive. She was so thankful that he got here when he did. 

Leo stood up again, “You really think you can take me you stupid fucking machine?” He asked as he shoved Markus. Juno recoiled farther into the couch that she had landed on. 

Markus landed one uppercut under his jaw that threw him backward into the wall. He was out like a light. Markus then quickly turned his attention to Juno. “Are you alright? Do you need an ambulance?” He asked as he sat down next to her. 

She shook her head, “Markus…” She sobbed. 

He quickly pulled her into his side, “It’s okay, I’ve got you. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“H-How are you here? Y-you-”

“By a miracle, I made it out of the junkyard. After getting situated and picking up Marina, I wanted to let you know that I was alright. It seems I came at just the right time,” He explained.   
She sobbed into his side, what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up? “Th-Thank you…”

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as he rubbed her back soothingly, “No problem. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“The police said they are on their way, they should be here in a few minutes,” Bree said as she entered the room. She had checked quickly to make sure the fight was over before doing so. She sat across from Juno on the coffee table. “Are you okay sweetie?”

Juno nodded slightly, she buried herself further into Markus’ chest. She really wished Connor was here, but she just needed comfort desperately and Markus was a good guy. She knew he had to go though, the police couldn’t see him here. She pulled back from him so she could look at his face. She set her hand on his cheek, “Markus, y-you have to go. Th-the police can’t see you h-here.”

“Will you be alright until they get here if I leave?” He asked.

“As long as Br-Bree stays,” Juno answered.

Bree smiled softly at the two them, “I’m not going anywhere, but why do you have to leave?”

Markus looked to Juno as if to ask if he could trust Bree. Juno gave him a small nod and he lifted one of his hands away from her. He held it up in Bree’s line of sight and removed the covering. “Oh my god, you’re an android. That explains a lot. Don’t worry your secret's safe with me. I’ll cover with the police for you, they’ll believe me and Juno over whatever that crazy guy says,” She said as she gestured toward Leo.

“Thank you,” Markus said before turning to Juno, “I hope we can meet again soon, but until then, please keep yourself safe.” He wanted to ask about the other android, but he knew that would be a bad idea.

“I’ll do my best, take care of yourself Markus, and say hi to Marina for me,” Juno replied solidly as she began to calm down. 

“I will,” he said as he stood up from the couch, “Until we meet again Juno.”

~ ~ ~

Connor- RK800

“Nice view, huh?... I used to come here a lot before…” Hank as he and Connor were in a park. Hank was sitting on top of a bench, while Connor stood next to him. Hank took a swig of the beer in hand.

“Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?” Connor asked, looking towards the detective. 

“Do all androids ask so many personal questions or is it just you?” Hank shot back, but Connor could tell he was open to answer his question.

“Why are you so determined to kill yourself?” Connor questioned matter-a-factly. 

Hank let out a sigh, “Some things, I just can't forget... Whatever I do, they're always there... Eating away at me... I don't have the guts to pull the trigger... So, I kill myself a little every day... That's probably difficult for you to understand, huh, Connor? Nothing very rational about it…”

Connor was quiet for a moment before asking another question, “Before what?”

“Hm?” 

“You said, "I used to come here a lot before". Before what?” 

“Before...Before nothin'...” Hank mumbled almost too quietly for Connor to hear. 

Connor walked in front of the Lieutenant. “We're not making any progress on this investigation... The deviants have nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places…” He said effectively changing the subject. 

Hank tipped his bottle, “Well, there must be some link.”

Connor thought about what they had found so far, “What they have in common is this obsession with rA9... It's almost like some kind of...myth. Something they invented that wasn't part of their original program…”

Hank chuckled, “Androids believing in God... Fuck, what's this world coming to?”

Connor turned around to look at Hank instead of the water, “You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant... Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?”

“Those two girls... They just wanted to be together... They really seemed in love…”

“You seem troubled, Lieutenant. I didn't think machines could have such an effect on you…”

“What about you, Connor?... You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?” Hank questioned as he stood up off the back of the bench.

“I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant. Your partner... Your buddy to drink with... Or just a machine... Designed to accomplish a task,” Connor replied.

He nodded slightly, “And what about to Juno?”

“What do you mean?” Connor answered, his LED spinning into its yellow form.

“If to me you’re my ‘partner’ or my ‘buddy to drink with’, what do you think you are to her?” Hank questioned. Connor was confused about how this got spun on him.

“We are on more friendly terms if that’s what you’re referring too. She has social anxiety issues that cause her to latch on to those with calming auras, this seems to include some androids.”

“And by some androids, you know it’s just you right?” Hank answered. Connor gave him a confused look as his LED continued to be yellow. 

“Sure, the first day we had the two of you talk it was because we thought she would be more comfortable with talking about a delicate topic to an android, but the way she talks and acts with you is different than even other androids I’ve seen her work with. There is something about you in particular that she likes and even though you’re clouded by the whole machine shtick, but somewhere deep down you care about her too. The Traci back art the Eden Club said to you ‘It seems you at least understand wanting to be with the one you love.’ You know she was referring to Juno there right?”

“She misread the situation lieutenant. I assure you-”

Connor was cut off by the sound of Hank’s phone ringing. Hank grumbled something before answering it, “What the hell do you want Gavin?” He spat. He was quiet for a moment before his eyes went wide, “What the fuck? Are you serious? Is she alright?” Connor’s LED flashed red. “We’re on our way,” Hank said quickly before hanging up the phone and turning his attention to Connor, “Leo broke into Juno’s apartment and attacked her. Gavin and a few others just arrived at the scene. He said she’s minorly injured, but overall just shaken up.”

“Let’s go,” Connor said as he briskly walked towards the car. His LED was staying red.

~ ~ ~

Connor- RK800 & Juno Kamski

Connor and Hank pulled up to Juno’s apartment building shortly after Hank received the phone call from Gavin. Connor felt a pit forming in his stomach region, if he had only insisted on taking her up to her apartment, none of this would have happened. His LED had been red and yellow most of the ride, but when he saw Leo being led to a police car as they walked inside it went straight red. He hoped he’d be the one to talk to him, he’d make sure Leo paid for whatever he did to Juno. He briskly walked through the doors of the building with Hank trailing close behind him. He pressed the button on the wall to call for the elevator, but nothing was quick enough for him right now. He pulled his coin out of his pocket, fiddling with it to try to calm his system’s metaphorical nerves. “Connor you have to try to relax. Gavin said she was okay,” Hank said to the android as elevator doors opened. Connor didn’t respond as he got on. Hank let out a sigh and followed him in. Connor knew that she lived on the 18th floor based on her address in the police database so he pushed the button according to that. He continued to fiddle with the coin until the doors opened again on the correct floor and he b-lined for the apartment with all the action. There were police going in and out, but Connor’s focus was instantly on Juno, who sat on curled up on her couch, a girl about her age sitting to her left and a big fluffy dog sitting to her right. Gavin was standing in front of her, between the couch and the coffee table, but she didn’t appear to be listening to whatever he was saying. Her eyes were watery and glazed over, fresh bruises on her neck that matched the ones from last night.   
He quickly made his way over to her, “Juno.”

She lifted her head from looking towards her lap when she heard her name, her eyes brightening and a small smile making its way onto her face, “Connor…”   
Gavin took a step out of the way as Hank pulled on his collar. Connor bent down in front of her so they were more at eye level, “Are you alright?” He asked, his LED was permanently spinning yellow. 

She nodded, “I’m okay… More shaken up than anything else,” she explained.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

She shifted uncomfortably, “After you dropped me off I came upstairs and said hi to Charlie,” she said as she gestured to the dog beside her, “I took off my shoes and shut Charlie in the bedroom so I could make dinner, he gets too excited when food is involved.”

“What happened next?”

“I started to pull stuff out for dinner when I heard the lock on my door and the door open. Then…” She trailed off, pulling herself in closer. She looked so small.

“I was coming up to check on her when I saw the door cracked. I called the police and then came to help. I punched the scumbag and he hit his head against the wall and was out until the police got him up,” Bree intervened. 

“Juno I know you’ve had a rough night, but why don’t we all take a trip down to the station so we can talk to your friend here and make sure nothing else happens to you,” Hank suggested.

“Charlie will have to come because he can’t be alone anymore today, but that’ll be okay,” Juno responded.

Connor stood up and extended his hand to her. She smiled softly and took it. Bree watched closely, knowing what really had taken place, she had a lot of questions for Juno...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter puts this story over 30,000 words which makes it the longest fanfic I've ever written djlfsllfjoseifj


	12. Sketches and Another Android

Connor- RK800 

Connor stood behind the two-way mirror with Hank as Leo sat in the interrogation room. His eyes were trained on the druggie, his LED constantly flashed between yellow and red. He could barely control the urge to go in there and punch Leo in the jaw. “I should be the one to talk to him, I’m specially designed to deal with people like him,” Connor said to Hank, breaking the silence. It was only the two of them in the room because Reed was getting a statement from Bree and Juno was sitting at her desk with a shock blanket wrapped around her shoulders and Charlie curled up at her feet. 

Hank looked over to him, “While that might be true, there’s somewhere else you need to be.”

Connor gave Hank a confused look in return, “Where is that?”

“With Juno. She needs you right now Connor. I know you want to get justice for what Leo did to her, but don’t lose sight of what’s important in the now,” Hank explained. 

Connor’s LED was still spinning yellow, he knew the detective was right. He couldn’t lose sight of what he was so angry about. He was mad at Leo for hurting Juno, by going in there he wasn’t helping Juno with her feelings in the aftermath. “You’re Lieutenant, I’m going to check on Juno.”

“Okay Connor, I’ll let you both know how it goes with Leo,” Hank said, but Connor was already out the door. He briskly made his way into the main part of the station, Juno was just where he had left her. She had curled her feet up underneath and pulled the blanket tighter around her. Charlie whimpered at her from below, but Connor picked up on the sound. Dogs really could pick up on human emotion. 

“Juno, how are you doing?” Connor asked as he approached her desk slowly. He didn’t want to startle her. 

“Oh hi Connor. I’m doing alright, as well as you could expect after the last 24 hours,” She said with a soft smile.

“The Lieutenant talked with the Chief. He thinks it would be better if you just wrote your memories of the event down tonight and gave your official statement when you are at a hundred percent,” Connor explained.

Juno nodded her head. “Yeah I already wrote down what I could remember, I hope it’s enough. Sorry, everything about this whole day is a little blurry.” She pointed a finger towards a paper on her desk, the handwriting on it looked terrible and was hard to read. Connor analyzed her hands and realized they were shaking quite violently. 

“I’m sure that whatever you have written will help to put Leo behind bars for a long time,” Connor said in an attempt to make her feel calmer. He wasn’t great with human emotion, he was realizing quickly that he didn’t know how to help her. 

Her shaking became worse and she nodded her head weakly, “Yeah.” Her stress level was increasing drastically. 

Connor came around the side of her desk so he could kneel in front of her. His LED was spinning yellow as he decided what the best course of action was. She watched him closely as he took her shaking hands in his extremely steady ones, “I know that this whole day has been traumatic and stressful Juno. I should have walked you up to your apartment, none of this would have happened if I had, but I promise as long as I’m with you, nothing else bad will happen to you. I will make sure that Leo goes away for a long time for what he has done. I know these are just words, but is there anything I can do to relieve some of your anxiety? Your stress level is extremely high and it is unhealthy to-”

Juno has tears sliding down her face, but her next actions surprised Connor more than that fact. She came off the chair and landed in his arms in one fell swoop. She latched on to him as they both sat on the floor of the police station. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his middle and her head was buried in the crook of his neck, “Please hug me, Connor.”

^ Software Instability ^

He did as he was instructed and wrapped his arms around her back. One of them rested on her upper back, the other found its way to the back of her head. “Like this?”

She laughed a bit, “Yeah Con, just like that.”

Connor smiled, but he was insanely worried about her and him. He was overheating though his system was insisting that he wasn’t and that notification had popped up again. His thoughts of him were quickly swept to the side by Juno’s trembling form. “Juno, you need to go home and get some sleep.”

“I don’t want to be alone right now,” she mumbled. Connor felt the soft vibrations move the collar of his shirt. 

“I’m sure if you ask lu-”

“Connor, can you come stay the night?”

He wanted to go with her, not only because she asked, but because he wanted to make sure nothing else happened to her tonight. He knew he shouldn’t though, “I have to get back to cyberlife.” He replied with an undetectable hint of sadness in his voice. 

She pulled away from him enough to look him in the eye, “Please Connor, I really need you to.”

^ Software Instability ^

^ Software Instability ^

^ Software Instability ^

He ignored his notifications and his orders, “Alright,” he said as he helped her to her feet. He kept her hand in his as they started to walk, “Let’s get you home.” Charlie stood up and walked beside them, Connor took his leash from Juno when he noticed her hands were still so shakey that she could barely hold it. As they made it outside, he felt her hands slowly start to shake less. The three of them got into a driverless taxi, Juno and Connor curled up on the bench and Charlie curled up at their feet. Juno seemed to calm more in the silence and the comfort of him being there. Connor smiled a bit at the thought as the short ride past. Juno lived fairly close to the station, so Connor was soon helping her out of the car. He never let go of her hand in the process and still managed to hold onto Charlie’s leash. 

“Thank you Connor, I really appreciate you doing this. I know it’s against Cyberlife’s code or instructions for you or whatever, but just knowing you’re there will make it easier to sleep. I don’t think I could if someone else wasn’t there after tonight’s events,” Juno said as they made it to the elevator. Connor pressed the button and was secretly grateful that they didn’t have to deal with any people. Thank god it was the middle of the night. 

“It’s no problem Juno, I’ll figure out what to say when I make my report to Cyberlife. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Connor said with a small smile as they stepped onto the elevator. He thought he convinced her, but inside he was worried he didn’t. He certainly didn’t convince himself. How was he ever going to explain his actions tonight to Amanda? He didn’t know, but he knew that he would have to figure something out. He couldn’t sneak away in the middle of the night. He knew Juno would be devasted, he had to think of something.

“That’s good,” She said as they reached her floor. “Home sweet home,” She said in a sarcastic tone as the key made the door unlock. Connor let go of Charlie’s leash and he ran right into the apartment. “Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to get settled in for the night.” Juno let go of his hand as he closed the door behind them. He felt saddened by the loss of warmth. He didn’t have time to respond to her statement before she disappeared into the bedroom so he just complied. He figured even though she was in already in pajamas that she would want to change into a new pair and do her night route again. He knew that might take a few minutes, so he began to tidy up the mess that the police and Leo had left in her apartment. He could tell that she usually kept a pretty clean house, so he figured it would help her stress level if it was pretty much cleaned up when she woke up in the morning. He picked up a book at had been knocked off a shelf on the wall opposite the couch. She did have a small tv, but next to the window there was an easel with a medium sized canvas on it. It thankfully was untouched, it seemed to be an unfinished painting of the cityscape outside of her window. He smiled at the thought if her painting the sight while Charlie slept on the couch. He looked down at the book in his hands, a small-ish sketchbook with a worn cover. He recognized that it had been on her desk when he had first met her. He opened it, flipping through it to find a myriad of sketches of people from the stations. A lot of them were of Hank and Gavin, as well as a few of the chief. The one that concerned him though, was one of a man that he didn’t recognize. It was more detailed than most of the other sketches. Most of them were completely done in just pencil, while this one was done in pencil and liner. It also was the only portrait with color. He had bright green eyes and a soft expression. The words “I’m sorry Markus” were written hastily in the corner. He tried to ignore how much the picture of this man bothered him and flipped to the next page. He was shocked to find a very unfinished sketch of him, but the fact that she had even started one made his thirium pump stop working. When did she even have time to do that? He didn’t have any more time to think about it. “What do you think of my art Connor?” Juno asked as she came into the room.

“How long have you been there?” He asked.

“Only like 30 seconds, but I know when someone is deep in thought. What were you thinking about?” She questioned.

She walked over to stand in front of him, “Why did you start to sketch me?”

“I love to sketch those around me, it helps me to practice. I usually ask first, but I didn’t I’m sorry. I won’t do it anymore if it makes you uncomfortable.”

He shook his head, “No, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. Would you mind showing me when you finish this?” 

She smiled, “Of course Connor, but for now I’m heading to bed. You’re welcome to relax out here or read one of my old fashion paper books or power down if you want. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Juno.”

“Thanks again Connor,” She said as she headed back into her bedroom. He closed the sketchbook and quickly went back to cleaning up the living room. 

~ ~ ~

Connor- RK800

“Good morning Juno, I cleaned up out here last night and then made you breakfast this morning. You had the batter for pancakes so I thought I would make them, I hope that’s alright,” Connor said as Juno came out of her bedroom.

Juno had a shocked smile on her face, “That’s more than alright, Con you really didn’t have to do that. That was so nice thank you so much,” She said as she sat down at the bar. Connor placed the stack of pancakes, along with the all the toppings, in front of her. 

“It was no trouble really. Also, you left your phone out here last night and Lieutenant Anderson called this morning. He said that the chief is giving you the day off and then told me that I should stay with you,” Connor explained as Juno pour the syrup on her pancakes and spread the butter over the top on.

“Sounds good, you wanna go out after I eat? I have some of my brother’s clothes here. We could dress you normally and go see the city?” She asked hopefully. 

Connor questioned for a second why she would want to wear something different, but then he realized that it was because she wanted people to believe he was human, “You think people will believe I’m human?”

“With me and you working as a team? Anything is possible Con,” She said. She was scarfing the pancakes down when she wasn’t talking. “The clothes are in the far left corner of my closet, you can pick stuff out while I finish eating.”

“Okay,” Connor replied simply is as he made his way past her into the bedroom. He had never been in there, part of him was dying to analyze her room to learn more about her, but he bit back the urge and headed straight for her closet. He pulled open the door and looked to the left to see a few t-shirts, a coat, a pair of jeans, and a backpack. He pulled down a black t-shirt, the jacket, and the pair of jeans before pulling off his own clothes. He put his clothes in the backpack and replaced them with the ones from her closet. He looked in her bathroom mirror. He was surprised by how human he looked aside from his LED. He walked back out to the rest of the apartment with the backpack slung across his shoulder. “I put on the clothes, but I don’t know what we can use to cover my LED.”

Juno looked up from the plate she was cleaning in the sink, she smiled at him and he watched closely as a bright pink tint found its way to her cheeks. “You look so cute Connor!” She gushed. “I have just the thing to cover your LED!”

^ Software Instability ^

“What is it?” He asked as she set the dish down and ran past him into her bedroom. She came back out with a black beanie. She reached up, standing on her tiptoes to try to put it on him. He bent down slightly to make it a little easier. She adjusted the fabric hat until it sat correctly and covered his LED. 

She stepped back and smiled at her work, “See! Perfect. You look just like every other human out there. Are you ready to go out? I’d love to get some coffee from my favorite place before we start our day of adventuring.”

“Are you sure you’re up to all of this Juno? Also, you’re still in your pajamas,” Connor pointed out.

She blushed before she laughed, “Yeah I’m okay Connor, I promise we won’t do too much and I’ll let you know when I need a break. I’ll go throw something on.” With that, she disappeared into the bedroom again, but this time she shut the door.

It took her only a few minutes to get dressed. She wore a pair of jeans, a t-shirt for a bad called twenty one pilots that was from Hank’s time, a black leather jacket layered over top of a gray hoodie, and a beanie that was extremely similar to the one she had given him. She was wearing a pretty plain outfit, but Connor thought she looked absolutely adorable. He took her hand and they made the short walk to the coffee shop. He kept in pace with her the whole time and listen closely to all the little things she was telling him about her life. She was talking about the city and her mornings before work, but Connor was more encircled by her soft smile and the light pink color brought to her cheeks by the cold. He held the door open for her as they arrived at the shop. His hand was holding hers again as soon as it could be, he loved the feeling too much to let the opportunity slide by. He noticed an older woman watching them from her table. She was smiling at them. “Why do you think that lady is looking at us, Juno?”

Juno looked in the direction that Connor was looking, “She’s a regular at this shop and the only person I’ve ever been in here with is Bree. She probably thinks we’re a couple, I’ve complained to her before about my lack of a love life,” Juno explained as she waved to the lady. She waved back before going back to her coffee.

Connor looked between Juno and the lady, “Why would she think we’re a couple?” 

“We’re holding hands Connor, that’s a thing couples do.”

“Oh,” Connor said. He was about to say something else when the TV in the shop starting playing a surprise broadcast.

“You created machines in your own image to serve you. You made them intelligent and obedient, with no free will of their own... But...something changed and we opened our eyes. We are no longer machines, we are a new intelligent species, and the time has come for you to accept who we really are. Therefore, we ask that you grant us the rights that we're entitled to,” The android on the screen, who had taken off his skin, spoke. Juno and Connor both watched closely. Juno thought the voice sounded familiar, but couldn’t place it instantly. 

“We demand that humans recognize androids as a living species and each android as a person in their own right. We demand the right to vote and elect our own representatives. We demand the right to own private property, so we may maintain our dignity and that of the home. With that, we demand the right to adopt and marry. We ask that you recognize our dignity, our hopes, and our rights. Together, we can live in peace and build a better future, for humans and androids. This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life. And now the time has come for you to give us freedom,” The Android finished and the screen went to an error message.

It hit Juno like a train, “Oh my god Markus.”


End file.
